School on the site of the former children’s Hospital: the mayor Valérie Plant says that it is not too late

Archival PHOTO, QMI AGENCY
Valerie Plant

QMI agency

Friday, 2 march, 2018 16:49

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Friday, 2 march, 2018 16:49

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MONTREAL – The mayor of Montréal, Valérie Plante, argues that there is still time to find solutions to establish a school on the site of the old Hospital for children in Montreal, where shall be erected a vast complex real estate joint.

This output of Mrs. Plant, Friday, is a reaction to the position of the proponent, the firm Devimco real Estate, as reported by some media outlets montreal in the last few days, to the effect that it is now too late to integrate a school in the project.

“There is still time to find solutions and we need to continue to negotiate despite the financial constraints referred to,” said the mayor in a press release Friday afternoon. “It is of the social acceptability of the whole project,” she added, recalling that “the draft that was submitted to the population included a school”.

Valérie Plante, who is also mayor of the Ville-Marie borough, where the project is located, calling on the parties involved in the discussions to resume discussions as soon as possible”.

The Commission scolaire de Montréal is one of the involved parties. Quoted by the daily “Duty” earlier this week, Stephanie Bellenger-Heng, the commissioner of Ville-Marie to the CSDM, said that the promoter told the CSDM have sold 80 % of its condos “and that there was therefore more room for a primary school”.

During the public consultations conducted by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal, several of the speakers had mentioned that the project was to include a public elementary school in the district need. In his report dated may 17, 2017, COMP had written that “the promoter said it was open to the idea, and work on possible scenarios for such an implementation”.

“The city centre of Montreal is a great need for schools to provide environments that are full life, pointed out Valerie Plant, Friday. The former site of the Montreal children’s Hospital is a site that citizens and the municipal administration have identified as a carrier: the negotiations should resume as soon as possible.”

The proposed Devimco plans on the former site of the Montreal children’s Hospital over 1400 condominium units or rental, including housing, community relations, as well as commercial spaces, among others. A community library is also planned.

A protest of parents and residents in the district, claiming a school on the site of the old hospital needs to take place this Saturday in the late morning at Cabot square adjacent to the site.