The City of Montreal wants to protect more of its greenspace.
Over the next six years, Quebec and Montreal will spend $150 million towards new bike paths and better access to waterways around the city, with a goal of making Montreal more attractive by 2017.
The city will mark its 375th anniversary in 2017, and Jean-Francois Lisee, the minister responsible for Montreal said the city could use a bit of a makeover to mark the occasion.
Part of the plan is to build a larger network of parks and bicycle paths, including one that would connect Oka to Mont-Saint-Bruno at a cost of $150 million.
One question many asked was would there be beaches on the island? It doesn't look like that's part of the plan.
Another measure that was announced Wednesday is $700,000 to plan new developments near existing metro and train stations. That money would, for example, be used to decide exactly how to develop a neighbourhood on the old Hippodrome site near Namur metro.
Lisee said these are measures that need to be taken in order for Montrealers to make the most of public transit, and to make the city more attractive.
“The number of Montrealers that have ideas and proposals -- there are so many we can't fund all of them,” he said. “But there's a lot of positive energy we should channel to get out of this rough patch and come back up, have our stride and have our pride again in 2017; if not sooner,” he said.
Some of the work begins in the spring.
