Each year, at its annual meeting, the Board of Directors Héritage Montréal adopts resolutions on issues that are dear to our hearts and that we consider to be priorities. This year, four four resolutions were adopted and for this first post, I present our resolution on the development and enhancement of the Old Port of Montreal sector (2020-04).
The Old Port, its importance in the city
For many Montrealers, the Old Port of Montreal is a very touristy area that is often best avoided. And yet, until the beginning of the 1980s, the territory was still partially fenced off and accessibility to the Old Port was largely limited. In these times of pandemic and tourist scarcity, we now have an extraordinary opportunity to take full advantage of it without constraint. But are you familiar with this fundamental sector of Montréal's history?
The Old Port, as well as Silo No. 5 and Pointe-du-Moulin a little further west, are important reminders of Montreal's history. Through its port, industrial and commercial activities, this territory, owned by the Canada Lands Company, is recognized as the economic cradle of the city. The facilities found there illustrate its growth from the 1850s to the 1950s. The industrial structures that are still in place include the famous Silo No. 5, the marine towers and conveyors, wharves and spillways. This complex is undoubtedly an important heritage that must be protected and enhanced.
In 1959, the opening of the seaway and the evolution of maritime transport helped transform the organization of Port of Montreal activities, which were now concentrated in more easterly sectors. In 1964, Old Montréal was declared a historic district and in 1970 the Lachine Canal was closed to maritime traffic. These events helped to create the Old Port we know today: a large promenade and relaxation area close to downtown and Old Montréal. This vocation has become increasingly important as the downtown area has become denser and the riverside neighbourhoods have been repopulated.
Big project and radio silence
The first public consultation on the future of the Old Port was held in 1978 under the leadership of the late Mark London - who later became CEO ofHéritage Montréal. It was a pioneering consultation for Montreal. In the 1980s, at the request of Montreal society, the Old Port Corporation held further public consultations to identify a primary vocation for the Old Port. The Old Port was then recognized as a public place for relaxation and recreation, excluding both residential use and intensive commercialization. Instead, the aim was to "reuse the site by Montrealers through the gradual and careful enhancement of its intrinsic qualities"(Old Port of Montreal, 1987, hereinafter referred to as "VPM"). The change of vocation opened up the site to Old Montreal, offering Montrealers a window onto the river. Eight guiding principles were adopted. These included the principle that the Old Port should not compete with the surrounding areas, but rather complement and support them. Any development must also reflect real needs. Finally, views of the water and the city must be enhanced, and the site's maritime and historic character recognized. This approach led to major development work, based on plans by the firm Cardinal Hardy and architect Peter Rose, on some of the quays for Montreal's 350th anniversary in 1992. The work was acclaimed by the public and won numerous awards.
In June 2015, the federal Conservative government launched a master plan process for the Old Port / Pointe du Moulin sector and mandated the Canada Lands Company, which inherited responsibility for the Old Port in 2012. It should be noted that the Alexandra Pier, property of the Port of Montreal, redeveloped to accommodate the Port of Montreal's new cruise terminal, is excluded from this territory. The objective of the Master Plan is to "create an innovative urban ensemble in terms of architecture, landscape and sustainable development for the benefit of Montrealers" (VPM, 2017). The Canada Lands Company has entrusted the firm Daoust Lestage with the responsibility of developing the master plan and has set up an advisory committee to advise it in its project. The public is also invited to comment on the preliminary plan in 2017.
As stated in the MPV's consultation report, "the overall vision pursued by the MPV in the development of this plan is to strengthen the Old Port's position as the recreational tourism site par excellence in Quebec" (MPV, 2017). This vision is translated into several objectives, including improved access to the river, the creation of new activity centres, the enhancement of green and public spaces and the reconnection of the site to the city.
At Héritage Montréal, as we stated in our submission on the Master Plan in 2017, we believe that the vocation and guiding principles determined in 1987 are still relevant today. We therefore feel it is appropriate to reaffirm the principles that will guide the evolution of the Old Port and to specify the uses and functions to be favored. On the whole, the proposed master plan is inspired by these principles, but seems to depart from them on occasion without necessity or justification. For example, the hotel and commercial functions planned for the Quai de l'Horloge could compete with and weaken the services offered in Old Montreal. It has not been demonstrated that they meet real needs that cannot be met otherwise. Furthermore, the new buildings proposed to house these functions will affect views of the river from Rue de la Commune.
We also recommend great vigilance with regard to the desire to densify the territory in order to make it profitable:
"The key to success (of the master plan) will undoubtedly be the ability to resist the temptation to develop at any cost. We must remain within the low density, protect the views and open spaces and preserve the authenticity of the site. "(HM, 2017)
Héritage Montréal, 2017
Now is the time to act
Today, after the Canada Lands Company held a first phase of public consultation and the preliminary documents were revised in 2018, the master plan has still not been finalized and made public, and public consultation on the plan has not yet taken place. Nevertheless, a call for proposals was issued for the redevelopment of the Pointe-du-Moulin sector, a winning group was announced in the summer of 2019, but no further information has been released since then. Moreover, while awaiting the implementation of this Master Plan, situations and projects for recreational and commercial facilities continue to clutter the landscape and diminish the remarkable ensemble formed by the riverfront of Old Montréal and the entrance to the Lachine Canal. In particular, the presence of the Parc de Tyroliennes in front of the remarkable Bonsecours Market building and the proposed observatory tower in front of the Pointe-à-Callière Museum announced for 2021 by the Port of Montreal are to be deplored.
Against this backdrop, resolution 2020-04 of Héritage Montréal calls on the Canadian government and the various authorities concerned to finalize, publish and implement the promised master plan for the Old Port and Pointe-du-Moulin area, particularly in the context of infrastructure investment projects for post-COVID-19 recovery.
We also ask that the esplanade between the market and the Bonsecours basin be cleared immediately and that all other construction projects be suspended pending the adoption of a coherent planning framework for the entire area.
Header photograph: The Old Port of Montreal from Île Sainte-Hélène, Montreal, QC, circa 1967, David Wallace Marvin, MP-1978.186.2.5.17, © McCord Museum
