COP15 road closures, parking, and public transit: What you need to know
The fences are up, the flights are booked, and the programs are set – Montreal will host thousands of people attending and presenting at the upcoming COP15 biodiversity conference at the Palais des Congres.
“The event will bring as many as 12,000 participants,” said city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin, adding the event is expected to bring in $85 million in attendant spending.
Decision makers from around the world will be in Montreal, hoping to reach an agreement to protect endangered species.
Jay Ritchlin of the David Suzuki Foundation says he wants to hear real solutions presented at the conference.
“I think the big question here is ‘are we going to get that kind of commitment on a global scale to actually halt and reverse biodiversity loss, nature loss?’” he said.
“That ‘halt’ part, the ‘halt and reverse’, that’s really one of those key things that we’ve got to try and get, and there are a lot of countries pushing for it,” he said.
Some groups have threatened to disrupt the meetings. Environmental activists have publically raised doubts about the convictions of governments, saying they created the problems, and can’t be trusted to fix them.
“The David Suzuki Foundation is fully supportive of people who want to get out in the streets and make their voices heard,” said Ritchlin. “Of course, no one condones violence, and to be honest, I think that’s a very small part of any of these protests.”
Montreal police will be out in huge numbers, along with officers from the Surete du Quebec and the RCMP. The city is also limiting traffic near the convention centre.
“We’re doing everything in order to secure the area because we don’t want to have negative impacts coming from the protesters,” said Sabourin. “As long as they protest peacefully, it’s fine to do so .”
COP15 starts Wednesday and goes until Dec. 19th.
NAVIGATING THE AREA
The fence and temporary road closures could make for navigational headaches for commuters and tourists in the area.
Here’s what you need to know to get around:
Source: City of Montreal
CLOSURES
The fence will reduce thoroughfare to one lane on the following streets:
- Viger ave., between Saint-Urbain and Jean-Paul-Riopelle (south-side lane closed)
- Saint-Antoine St. between Saint-Urbain and Jean-Paul-Riopelle (north-side lane closed)
- Saint-Urbain St. between Saint-Antoine and Viger (west-side lane).
- Jean-Paul-Riopelle is completely closed. Chenneville and De La Gauchetiere are accessible only by local traffic.
- De La Gauchetiere, which is usually a one-way going west, will be flipped to eastbound between De Bleury and Jeanne-Mance.
PARKING
As of Dec. 1, the Palais des congres parking lot will only be open to authorized vehicles.
PUBLIC TRANSIT
The Place-d’Armes metro station closed on Dec. 1 and will remain shut until Dec. 20. Trains will run between the two neighbouring stations, Champ-de-Mars and Square-Victoria-OACI without stopping at Place-d’Armes.
Busses will also be avoiding the area. The red line in the map below indicated the no-go zone.
Source: STM
A detailed rundown of the affected routes and schedules is available here.
CYCLING
Cyclists will have access to the REV between Viger Ave. and Saint-Antoine St.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
ArriveCan contractor to be admonished by MPs in extraordinarily rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.