Mount Royal promised 30,000 trees

Projet Montréal is promising to plant 30,000 trees on Mount Royal over the next 10 years.

The opposition party at city hall says it would help mitigate the effects of emerald ash borers that are threatening about 27,000 ash trees on the mountain.

If elected, the party promises to update Mount Royal’s tree inventory and replace trees decimated by the insects as quickly as possible to maintain the mountain’s green canopy and prevent the propagation of invasive species.

“Mount Royal is an important symbol of Montreal,” Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante told a news conference on Tuesday.

“We will not allow the mountain to be called ‘Mont Chauve’ (Bald Mountain) as it once was 60 years ago when many trees were removed.” Plante was referring to the clearing of wooded areas ordered by then-mayor Jean Drapeau in the 1950s in an effort to eliminate spots where people might engage in illicit activities.

Sue Montgomery, the Projet Montréal mayoral candidate in Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, said Mayor Denis Coderre has waited too long to take action. “By acting now, we will avoid disfiguring the mountain, erosion problems and the spread of invasive species,” the former Montreal Gazette journalist said.

Montreal municipal elections will be held Nov. 5.