Municipalities north of Montreal are teaming up to create a sprawling new park. As planned, the park would total 5,000 hectares and stretch 42 kilometres along the Rivière des Mille Îles.
The primary goal is to conserve the nature along the river, which Minister of the Environment Benoit Charette described in a press release as particularly "rich in biodiversity." According to Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer, almost two-thirds of the plant and animal species present in Quebec can be found in the Rivière des Mille Îles, on its eponymous islands and along its shoreline.
It would be the largest conservation park in the Montreal metro area.
Boyer and the mayors of Rosemère, Deux-Montagnes, Boisbriand, Mascouche, Terrebonne, Sainte-Thérèse, Saint-Eustache, Lorraine and Bois-des-Filion have agreed to create a provisional governing body for the new park that can work with the municipalities and provincial government to obtain official conversation status.
At least parts of the park would be open to visitors and feature what the provincial Minister of Tourism Caroline Proulx described as "nature-friendly tourist activities."
A map showing the proposed boundaries of a new conservation park along the Rivière des Mille Îles.Ville de Laval
"The potential of the Rivière des Mille Îles for nature tourism is considerable for the metropolitan region," Proulx said in the release.
"Today's announcement opens up enormous opportunities for the Laval and North Shore regions to discover the river for outdoor enthusiasts from here and elsewhere."
Officials also praised the announcement as a significant step toward the goal to protect 30% of the land in the Montreal metro area by 2030.