Renovations and garbage are issues at Mount Royal
Beaver Lake improvement work has been dragging on since 2012
Mount Royal Park is often called the jewel of Montreal, but in recent summers the renovations dragging on at Beaver Lake and a growing garbage problem across the park have been turning the mountain into a source of frustration, rather than pride.
The city of Montreal began a project to restore the Beaver Lake basin in 2012, which was to be completed in 2013. But once again this summer, Beaver Lake and the surrounding area — among the most popular picnic spots in the park — will be fenced off for renovation work. Because of legal skirmishes, changes to the way municipal contracts are negotiated and a few unexpected technical glitches, the work is still unfinished. So for the fourth summer in a row, the area is off-limits.
The work is now slated to be finished by the end of July, according to Réal Ménard, the city’s executive committee member responsible for green spaces, including Mount Royal Park.
In the meantime, as the weather improves, the impatience of Montrealers and visitors to reclaim the shores of Beaver Lake is beginning to show.
On recent weekends, portions of the tall fence erected to block access to the grassy slope down to the lake have been pushed down. Dozens of sunbathers and picnickers simply walk over it and stretch out on the grass.
“I think Montrealers have been very patient overall,” said Hélène Panaioti, a spokesperson for Les amis de la montagne, a charity whose mission is to protect and enhance Mount Royal.
“We think it is wonderful that this restoration work is being done, but it is certainly unfortunate that the original schedule has not been respected. We will be very happy when it’s finally over in July.”
The group has been in constant communication with the city about the delays, she said, because they have had a dramatic effect on Les amis de la montagne’s revenues.
The group used to rent out paddleboats on the lake in the summer, and in the winter, a tubing activity on the slope also brings in revenue. The fact that construction work has had to continue over recent winters has not only inflated the cost of the renovations, it has caused delays and losses for the winter activities that help to finance the work of Les amis.
This summer, the group hopes to be able to rent out small rowboats on Beaver Lake, which should be noticeably enhanced once the work is done.
The renovation project includes the addition of a small waterfall at one edge of the lake, improved drainage of the pathway surrounding the lake, reconfiguration of other nearby pathways, and replacement of benches and lighting.
Smith House, another popular destination on the mountain, is also undergoing restoration work this summer, which will unfortunately add to the construction-zone ambience of the park. The exterior bricks will be repointed and the roof replaced. The café and souvenir shop, and terrace will remain open.
Panaioti stresses that the renovation work is all necessary and temporary, but her group is anxious to resolve a different problem that has been growing over the past 20 years and has lately become intolerable.
Maintenance crews can keep up with garbage left on the mountain during the week, she said, but on Monday mornings, garbage cans on the mountain are often overflowing with garbage and litter is everywhere.
“On any beautiful weekend between about May 1 and Nov. 1, there is such an influx of visitors and picnickers and many simply do not leave the place the way they found it,” Panaioti said.
Unlike provincial parks, Mount Royal Park has no single entrance where visitors could be clearly informed of the rules about littering and garbage. And since the park is a historic, natural site, signs are discreet. Pictograms against littering are not working to get the message across, she said. And even though littering is illegal, there is no enforcement of this law on the mountain.
She said her group gets dozens of complaints after every nice weekend, because people leave garbage beside the overflowing garbage cans, and that gets blown around by the wind or scattered by animals. She would like to see people adopt the practice, common in campgrounds and provincial parks, of carrying out what they bring in, especially those who come by car.
“If people can bring up these disposable barbecues and boxes of Pampers and all this stuff we find strewn all over the park, they could also take them down,” she said.
The city recently announced it would install several larger garbage cans around Beaver Lake and other picnic areas on the mountain, but Panaioti said this will not solve the problem.
“It is not a solution, and our biologist is concerned it will be a problem for foraging animals” who may get caught in the large bins, she said.
The solution is more complex, and would involve a significant public awareness campaign that would require funding, possibly from the central city. Increasing the frequency of garbage pickups and getting police to patrol the mountain and enforce municipal bylaws may also be part of the solution, she said. (The police officers who exercise the cavalry horses on the mountain have no mandate to enforce littering laws, she noted.)
Les Amis de la montagne is hoping to organize a meeting of representatives of the Ville Marie borough, the local police station and the central city, to come up with a multi-pronged solution.
Ménard said he would be happy to attend such a meeting.
“This is obviously a significant problem that has been brought to my attention, and although it is mostly up to the Ville Marie borough to find a solution, if there are some creative actions that the city could take, I am happy to meet with Les amis to talk about that,” he said.
We think it is wonderful that this restoration work is being done, but it is certainly unfortunate that the original schedule has not been respected.