Every year, as part of its annual meeting, Héritage Montréal adopts resolutions on issues that are important to it and considered to be priorities. This year, four resolutions were adopted and for this first post, I present our resolution on the development and enhancement of the Old Port of Montreal area (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 conducted in 1978 under the leadership of the late Mark London, who would later become CEOHéritage Montréal. It was a pioneering consultation for Montreal. In the 1980s, at the request of Montreal society, the Old Port Corporation held new public consultations to identify a primary purpose 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 goal was to "reuse the site for Montrealers through the gradual and careful enhancement of its intrinsic qualities" (Old Port of Montreal, 1987, hereinafter referred to as "OPM"). The change in vocation involved clearing the site facing Old Montreal and offering Montrealers a window on the river. Eight guiding principles were adopted. Among these principles was the idea that the Old Port should not compete with the surrounding areas, but rather complement and support them. All development must also reflect real needs. Finally, the views of the water and the city must be enhanced, and the maritime and historical character of the site must be recognized. The process led to major development work, based on plans by the firm Cardinal Hardy and architect Peter Rose, on some of the wharves for Montreal's 350th anniversary in 1992. This work was welcomed by the public and recognized with 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 2017 brief on the master plan, we believe that the mission and guiding principles established 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 promoted. Overall, the proposed master plan is inspired by these principles, but occasionally seems to deviate from them without necessity or justification. For example, the hotel and commercial functions planned for the Quai de l'Horloge could compete with the services offered in Old Montreal and risk weakening them. It has not been demonstrated that they meet real needs that cannot be met in any other way. Furthermore, the new buildings proposed to house these functions will affect the 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.
In this context, through its Resolution 2020-04, Héritage Montréal 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 sector, 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
