Quebec billionaire entrepreneur Guy Laliberte has his sights set on a new project on Saint Helen’s Island.
World famous for creating Cirque du Soleil, the 55-year-old creative maverick wants to turn a portion of the island into a memorial park to honour the dead.
In its very early stages, the project would see a huge portion of the park outfitted with a museum, a space for funerals, a pet cemetery, and even a restaurant.
Last month, Laliberte revealed he is selling his majority stake in the famed Cirque du Soleil to a U.S. private equity firm after 30 years in the circus business.
Laliberte declined CTV Montreal’s request for an interview.
If he does plan to go ahead with his project, he might find a few obstacles in developing the land, currently owned by the city of Montreal. For one, the entire island is now considered a heritage site.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, however, is enthusiastic.
“Iasked Mr. Laliberte to put forward some projects. He came to me, he's finalizing it,” he said. “Clearly we need that great potential of the creative genius of Guy Laliberte.”
The opposition at city hall is willing to hear the entrepreneur, but Projet Montreal warns some issues are non-negotiable.
“We will be pretty vigilant about making sure about the park staying a public place and that actual users and future users will use the totality of the park,” said Projet Montreal leader Luc Ferrandez.
If all systems are go, the plan could be up and running quickly; Laliberte's wants the project completed for Montreal's 375th anniversary in 2017.
