Montreal's Espace pour la vie museums, including the Montreal Botanical Garden and Biodôme, will be free to visit on Saturday, December 10, and Sunday, December 11. The promotion will coincide with the COP15 United Nations biodiversity conference in downtown Montreal.

Espace pour la vie consists of five museums dedicated to the environment. Together they compose the "largest natural-science museum complex in Canada," according to the federal government.

The Botanical Garden, Biodôme, Insectarium and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium are concentrated in Parc Maisonneuve and the Montreal Olympic complex. The fifth museum, the Biosphere in Parc Jean-Drapeau, joined Espace pour la vie in 2021 after years under federal tutelage.

For adults, regular tickets to each space are usually $22, while Montreal resident tickets are $16,50. Montrealers can book their free tickets for that December weekend online.

On Instagram, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante called the free weekend "a great opportunity to discover or rediscover these museums that raise awareness of environmental issues and the protection of biodiversity."

COP15 will take place at the Palais des Congrès from December 7 to 19 — and is likely to create a few transit headaches.

At the request of authorities, the STM will be closing the Place-d'Armes metro station from December 1 to 20. Orange lines train will run as usual, just without a stop between Square-Victoria–OACI and Champs-de-Mars. Several bus lines will see detours too.

The whole block surrounding the convention centre will see additional security, including hundreds of local, provincial and federal police officers.

There could also be additional traffic on rues Saint-Urbain and Saint-Antoine, as well as avenue Viger and Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle.