To inspire construction of green bridge, candidates invited to clean up the Saint-Jacques Falais
For the sixth year in a row, volunteers gathered Saturday to clean up the Saint-Jacques Escarpment.
The green space hugs the south-side of Saint-Jacques St. in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace (NDG) borough, stretching nearly 2 km long.
Candidates from NDG and the Southwest borough were among those picking up trash, all of which was illegally dumped in the area.
They were invited to participate by Sauvons la falaise, a citizen group that aims to protect the Saint-Jacques Escarpment and connect it with other green spaces.
“We want to make sure that anyone that could possibly win the election knows what a jewel we have here," said the group's founder, Lisa Mintz.
Mintz hopes to inspire candidates and speed up the construction of a new bridge, a project promised to Montrealers over a decade ago.
“One of the main things that needs to be done is the Dalle Parc, which is a green cycling pedestrian bridge which links NDG with the southwest," said Mintz.
Located at the Turcot Interchange, Dalle Parc wouldn't be just any bridge -- its surface would become a lush, green landscape, to be explored by both humans and wildlife.
But according to Mintz, the city isn't moving fast enough to make this dream a reality -- and after helping out on Saturday, some candidates agree.
"People who are elected will have to speed things up," said Joe Ortona, independent candidate for the Loyola district.
Romean Alam, Ensemble Montreal candidate the Southwest borough, expressed concern over the amount of litter he found in the Saint-Jacques Escarpment.
"I'm disappointed that those things happened and people [are] just [throwing out] their tires. We have to have a plan, make action," he said.
Earlier this year, Montreal announced a green recovery plan which would inject $1.8 billion into parks like the Dalle.
NDG's Projet Montreal candidate, Peter McQueen, said he's been waiting for the Turcot Interchange to be completed so the Dalle Parc project can get underway.
"What NDG really wants is a way to ride down from Saint-Jacques St., get across the highway to the Lachine Canal and Angignon Park."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.