The demolition of an 18th-century Tannery Village beneath the Turcot Interchange has started, even though many groups say the village should be preserved.
Transport Quebec says it had to go in order to make way for ongoing work on the new interchange.
Several groups, including the municipal opposition party had been fighting to keep this site in tact since Transport Quebec announced it would be demolished several weeks ago.
They say they were assured no demolition would take place until next weekend and were given no warning when, early Saturday morning, crews destroyed a portion of the village.
A spokesperson from Transport Quebec confirmed part of the site was destroyed, but denied the MTQ had given a date when it would happen. Archeologists are working at the site until the end of the month, clearing the ground of any artifacts. Once they finish up, the contractors are permitted to move in.
About150 boxes of artifacts have been collected and will be preserved at another location, but the ministry says this site must be cleared in order to make way for a water collector system.
While Projet Montreal councillor Craig Sauve agrees that work on the Turcot must be done, he said the party was still hoping to find a way to preserve the site and wanted Mayor Denis Coderre to do more to protect it.
“There's a motion at city council that we wanted to present tomorrow and we wanted to have this motion and have the mayor [explain his position]….We didn't even have a chance to have this discussion yet, but the minister of transport … is moving super quick when the public wants some more discussion,” he said.
The mayor wasn't available for an interview Sunday.
