Walking along the waterfront in Lachine\u2019s Ren\u00e9-L\u00e9vesque Park, Val\u00e9rie L\u00e9ger can envision every detail of a long-planned open-water swimming project for the site.<\/p>\n
She points to where swimming would be supervised, walks to the rocky bank where ladders would be installed, and speaks of how the water is just deep enough that sediment wouldn\u2019t be disturbed by swimmers. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a real opportunity,\u201d L\u00e9ger says. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a gem that isn\u2019t a given in Montreal\u200a \u2014\u200a there aren\u2019t many places to access the water, and we feel everyone should be able to access it here.\u201d<\/p>\n
After years of planning, the swimming project was supposed to launch last summer but stalled when the borough failed to obtain the needed permit in time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It finally received provincial approval in January, but the new Ensemble Montr\u00e9al borough administration, elected last November, has decided to call off the project over its $500,000 price tag. <\/p>\n
Now, L\u00e9ger is among those in Lachine urging the borough to reverse its decision and reconsider the project for next summer instead of letting years of planning go to waste.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Known as floating pools or harbour baths, similar projects have proved successful in European cities like\u00a0Copenhagen\u00a0and Paris, but also closer to Montreal, with versions in Quebec City\u2019s port and on the\u00a0Richelieu River in Beloeil.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019re growing in popularity as governments contend with hotter summers and a push to make natural waterways more accessible<\/a>.\u00a0Proponents also say they\u2019re much cheaper to create in waterways than land-based public pools, which can cost tens of millions of dollars in Montreal.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Lachine project was planned for an inlet off Lac St-Louis near the former marina. It called for floating docks with buoy ropes limiting lanes, regular water testing, and lifeguards on duty at all times.<\/p>\n While some residents already swim in the area, L\u00e9ger feels a supervised space would make the water more accessible to families, children, and people who are uncomfortable in open water \u2014 groups she says are currently shut out.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really true open-water swimming. So it can be intimidating,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In preparing for the project last year, the borough had readied engineering plans and submitted bids for equipment and lifeguards, expecting the site could accommodate 90 people at a time.<\/p>\n The permit received from the provincial Environment Ministry in January states the project needs to be launched within the next two years. <\/p>\n So while residents know it\u2019s off the table for this summer, they\u2019re pressing the borough to consider it for next year before the permit expires.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are many boroughs that would love to have a permit like this one \u2014 it\u2019s not easy to obtain authorizations; it takes years of work,\u201d said Mathieu Lacombe, who runs a water equipment rental project on site.<\/p>\n \u201cSo to have the permit and then say you\u2019re not going to do this project is really disheartening. And it makes you wonder what the vision is for the waterfront at Lachine.\u201d<\/p>\n Borough mayor says project is too expensive<\/p>\n In an interview with The Gazette, borough mayor Julie-Pascale Provost said the swimming project does not make financial sense given her priorities: fixing roads, improving safety and pushing for a new sports complex.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not true that half a million dollars isn\u2019t a lot,\u201d\u00a0Provost said. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s a hole in a budget I don\u2019t have and can\u2019t afford.\u201d<\/p>\n Provost said she understands some people feel deceived by the reversal, but blamed the previous Projet Montr\u00e9al administration for promising projects it didn\u2019t deliver.<\/p>\n Asked whether she would consider the project for next summer, given the expiring permit, she was unequivocal it is not in her plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to govern responsibly,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s well and good to dangle projects, but now the idea is to ensure we can meet current needs with our existing facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n The swimming project would sit in the area once occupied by the former Lachine Marina, closed by the previous administration in 2021 as part of a larger plan to build a vast riverfront park that has faced various delays<\/a>.<\/p>\n A sign on site explains the city has already invested $11.3 million since 2021 on studies and obtaining permits for water-based activities, water quality assessments, planting trees, and consultations on the new park.<\/p>\n Asked about her longer-term vision for the area, Provost said the decision to close the marina was controversial and described the park project as a vague \u201chypothetical concept.\u201d<\/p>\n She is not yet sure what a future project for the site could look like, she added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe riverside park divides people; the marina divides people. We want to find something in between,\u201d she said. \u201cA unifying project where everyone can use the waterfront and fully enjoy the extraordinary space we have.\u201d<\/p>\n