Montreal West divided on $39M sports complex on eve of referendum

People in Montreal West will vote on the construction of a new sports complex in a referendum on Sunday.

The town wants to see it go through, but some residents wonder whether they can afford it.

The upscale neighbourhood has an outdated sports facility, which the mayor says won't last much longer.

"We have an arena that's full of asbestos. There's mould on the panel. Then we have a pool that's going to need major repairs probably within the next couple of years," said Montreal West Mayor Beny Massella on Saturday.

"The arena itself is kind of beyond repairs, so in reality, it will probably need to come down in two, three years."

The town is proposing a major new complex, with a gymnasium, a new arena, a new pool and other facilities.

"It will all be one roof, everybody in the same building and interacting. That's something that was very important to us," said Massella.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was slated to cost $32 million. However, with inflation, it has mushroomed to $39 million.

Joanna Duy and her husband, Andrew Chapman, launched a campaign opposing the project from their living room.

"To me, it sounded like a good use of money to replace some of our infrastructures, but as the project continued along, and particularly once we started getting bids, it became very clear to me that it would be way too expensive for our small town," said Duy.

The city received a government grant, but the amount it has to borrow will cost the average homeowner $450 a year over the next forty years.

Montreal West pays some of the highest property taxes on the Island. Its net tax revenues every year are about $12 million. The project will cost $17 million on top of the grants already received from the government.

"Strong proponents of the facility, I think they do have money, but I think somehow the other people are being a little bit forgotten," said Chapman.