Montreal, June 13, 2006 – Representatives of Les Amis de la montagne will present their position paper to the Office de consultation publique de Montréal on June 14th on the Montreal Alouettes plan to expand the Percival-Molson Stadium located within the Mount Royal Historic and Natural District, the second step of this public consultation process.

The arguments put forward by Les Amis include:

1. Reduction of the impact of the installation of a giant screen;
2. Compensation for the reduction of forested areas, as well as green spaces used for parking;
3. Increased participation by McGill University in the management of the site;
4. Creation of a set of rules for the usage of the stadium.

“The natural heritage of Mount Royal has great ecological and landscape value that needs to be preserved,” said Sylvie Guilbault, Executive Director of Les Amis. “Our urban green and forested spaces contribute significantly to our collective quality of life. The forested area on McGill’s property has important landscape value. We ask that substantial compensation for the loss of these spaces is provided for each project that obtains development approval on the mountain.”

Sylvie Guilbault added that, as owner of the stadium property, greater involvement in the management of the site by McGill University is absolutely essential.

“Critical questions concerning the management of the site and the use of the stadium are at the heart of this debate and require clarification,” she said. “Institutional property owners within the protected territory of Mount Royal are obliged by law to respect the parameters of the protection decree, and morally obliged to respect the reasonable requests made by the immediate neighbours to the property.”

Click here for a copy of Les Amis’ position paper (in French) in PDF format.

Founded in 1986, Les Amis de la montagne are dedicated to the conservation and enhancement of Mount Royal by promoting the involvement of the community and environmental education.

Information: Gabrielle Korn