A group of residents on Montreal's South Shore is fighting a municipal decision to replace a decrepit public pool with a daycare.
"I raised my children here," said long-time Saint-Lambert resident Sandra Morellato.
"So coming here to the wading pool, and then the larger pool for many years, I actually trained here and swam laps."
For many years, the outdoor swimming pool and wading area in the city's Préville Park would come alive in the summer with families looking to beat the heat.
But the pool was beyond repair after breaking down a final time last year, so the city opted to sell off the land and use the revenue to build a nearby splash pad.
At the same time, Mayor Pascale Mongrain explained in a news release last month, the property would help fill the need for daycare spots in the area — something, she says, that was on many residents' minds during the last election campaign.
On June 13, the Saint-Lambert council adopted a resolution confirming its intention to sell the swimming pool land to CPE Agathe La Girafe, a public daycare, so it can build a new, prefabricated facility that offers 80 new daycare places and opens in the winter of 2024.
But when the city announced its plan, it was met with backlash.
Morellato said neighbours were never consulted on the decision. Now an online petition is gathering steam, garnering more than 650 signatures as of Monday.
The petition says selling municipal park space "represents an unacceptable precedent and is a threat to the preservation of our parks in Saint-Lambert."
"The population is entitled to expect that elected officials consult it for any zoning change affecting parks and green spaces prior to a vote," the petition says.
Trying to hold a public consultation would have slowed down a project that, with help from the Quebec government, must be completed within two years, Mongrain said.
No trees would need to be cut, the size of the land is good, and many parents are desperate for a daycare spot, she said. No consultation is needed in a case when land is being sold for medical or educational use, she added.
The Ministry of Families is investing $1.8 million in the project, and 20 jobs will be created, the city says.
"We have been working for several years now to provide Saint-Lambert residents with extra daycare places," says Lyse Camerlain, executive director of CPE Agathe la Girafe, in the city's news release.
"By the end of the process, we will be offering a total of 253 places across our three facilities and will have more than 90 employees."
The city must still take steps such as obtaining government and municipal approvals with regard to the applicable land-use rules and regulations, the release says. The mayor said the sale of the land is not final yet, but city officials are hoping to push ahead with the project.
"We made this decision thinking it was going to be unanimous, thinking it was going to make the residents of this neighbourhood happy," Mongrain said. "And well, we made a mistake."
She said she apologized at the last council meeting for not holding consultations specific to the project, but it fits within the city's urban plan which was approved this summer by the public.
Pool wasn't popular anyway, mayor says
Building a daycare would meet the needs of the community, Mongrain said, while the pool was in disrepair and, even when it was still open, not very popular.
She said the city already has two public pools that are more popular — that's more pools than other cities of similar size — and many residents in the surrounding neighborhood have backyard pools already.
Nicole Paquin has lived in the neighbourhood for years, and said the plan makes sense considering how many parents are searching for daycare spots.
"I think it's a very good idea," she said. "It's local. Don't have to go too far. They don't have to search."
On top of it all, Mongrain said, there's no way the city can get the old pool up and running — or replace it.
"We have no money to build a new pool," she said. "We know that there is a dire need for spots in daycare and we want to respond to that need."
But residents like Isabelle Gendron say they plan to fight the decision.
"Even if you have a pool in your backyard, it's important to have a community centre where people can meet and send their kids when they're working to have surveillance [supervision]," she said.
Director and writer Jordan Peele talks about the themes he weaved into his latest horror sci-fi, "Nope." (July 18)
Toronto police are seeking the public's help identifying a woman suspected of setting several fires early Saturday. Police were called to Weston Road and Sykes Avenue around 12:30 a.m. with reports of a fire. According to initial information, they said a woman set four cars on fire on Weston Road and then proceeded to set something on fire on the porch of a home. Police said they believe the woman then walked south where she lit a garbage receptacle on fire. Nobody was injured as a result of the
TORONTO — Ontario's electricity system is searching for more power producers as demand rises and a major nuclear plant nears retirement, a process likely to secure more natural gas generation while the government seeks to end reliance on it. It means that for at least the next two decades, greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector are set to increase. But the electricity system operator says Ontario is already using hydro to its max, while solar and wind power rely on the weather, and
The federal government has launched consultations on a plan to cap and cut greenhouse gases from the oil and gas industry. But as Tom Vernon reports, the proposal faced immediate backlash from the Alberta government.
Eight decades later, France is honouring the victims of two terrifying days in July 1942 with a week of ceremonies surrounding the Vel d’Hiv police roundup.View on euronews
Forest fires are raging across tens of thousands of hectares as the heatwave continues to bring extreme temperatures across southwestern Europe.
The Mi'kmaw Language Act that recognizes Mi'kmaw as the original language of Nova Scotia officially became law Sunday at a proclamation ceremony held at Potlotek First Nation in Richmond County. Minister of L'nu Affairs Karla MacFarlane first announced the government's intention to enact the legislation in October 2021. MacFarlane said Sunday that the province will take further steps to invest in the promotion and revitalization of the language based on the recommendations of a joint team commit
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi abortion clinic at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade has been sold and will not reopen even if it's allowed to do so by a state court, its owner told The Associated Press on Monday. Diane Derzis said the furniture and equipment from Jackson Women's Health Organization have been moved to a new abortion clinic she will open soon in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Jackson clinic is best known as the Pink House because of its bright
Pope Francis is set to arrive in Edmonton next week. During the cross-country trip, he is expected to apologize to Indigenous people for abuses inflicted by the Catholic church in residential schools.
Protesters called on Canada to "be brave like Ukraine" and uphold economic sanctions against Russia from the lawn of Parliament Hill. Canada agreed earlier this month to issue an exemption to the economic sanctions issued against Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
MIAMI (AP) — Robert Lewandowski passed his medical on Monday and said he's ready to help put Barcelona back at the top in European soccer. The striker was set to sign his contract and be officially introduced by Barcelona in Miami on Tuesday ahead of the team's U.S. tour. “It was very easy to decide to come to Barça,” the Poland player said after joining his teammates in Florida. “Barça is back. I think I can help to put the team back at the top of European football.” Barcelona this weekend reac
News bulletin 2022/07/17 23:42View on euronews
A new report on the mass shooting at an Uvalde, Texas elementary school says police who rushed to the site of the shooting did not follow their active shooter training and put their own safety ahead of saving lives.
News bulletin 2022/07/19 08:12View on euronews
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.View on euronews
New research shows that at least half of Canadians have encountered pro-Kremlin propaganda online and that those who hold left-leaning views are less susceptible to the Kremlin’s disinformation.
Raging wildfires are forcing communities around northern Manitoba and Lytton, B.C. to evacuate homes.
News bulletin 2022/07/17 11:42View on euronews
Warning: The following story contains images which may be disturbing to some. A rare Newfoundland pony has died after being fed too many apples by passersby, leaving the owner begging the public to not feed animals they don't own. It happened over the weekend at Driftwood Acres, a privately owned horse farm near Stephenville, on the west coast of the island. The farm's owner, Jessica Boyd, worked with a local veterinarian and stayed with the mare, named Little Catalina, all through the night, bu
Security camera footage of a little boy expressing his enthusiasm for the red 2016 Chevy SS, otherwise known as the Holden Commodore SSV Redline! Check out this super adorable video!