Filing of the Public Consultation Report: McGill University Health Centre and Shriners Hospital

Montréal, August 9, 2005 – Office de consultation publique President Jean-François Viau made public today the report of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) on draft by-laws pertaining to the construction of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and Shriners Hospital on a site located on the land of the old Glen railway yards in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
The Office commission, chaired by Mr. Jean Paré, a full-time commissioner with the OCPM, and completed by the participation of Me Marguerite Bourgeois and Mr. Alex Harper, both part-time commissioners, heard numerous citizens' opinions on the subject. Over 400 people attended the five meetings held in the boroughs of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Sud-Ouest, Twenty-five briefs and opinions were presented to the commissioners.

The citizens' concerns and comments focused primarily on the hospital project and its development plan, access to the Glen campus and traffic, the project's social, economic and environmental impacts, and follow-up on the consultation process.

The public consultation participants' main concerns had to do with issues surrounding access to the site and the mobility of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the effects of increased circulation, traffic, and parking. There were many questions and comments on the impact of building such a facility on the neighbourhood's quality of life.

The majority of citizens who expressed an opinion on the matter supported the construction of the MUHC and Shriners Hospital on the Glen Yards site. Their expectations are in keeping with the magnitude and prestige of these two institutions. They expect the project to be carried out in an exemplary fashion in all respects.

The MUHC and Shriners also represent an exceptional opportunity to resolve, in a bold and innovative manner, the problems associated with the development and urban reintegration of the Glen Yards. The project calls for an integrated vision and concerted planning approach to the site and its surrounding area.
However, with respect to the urban reintegration of the Glen campus, the development proposal does not meet expectations. Neither the MUHC nor the City has completed the necessary integrated planning process. The most striking deficiencies involve the links between the Glen campus and adjacent urban area, notably around Vendôme station, and the road construction, which may create more problems than it solves if it proceeds as planned.

The deficiencies identified in the public consultation do not fundamentally bring back into question the master plan for the MUHC. They do not directly affect the content of the draft by-laws submitted for consultation.

Moreover, the nature of the problems to be rectified calls for the co-operation of all partners, notably the MUHC, the City of Montréal, the Ministère des Transports, the Société de transport de Montréal and the Agence métropolitaine de transport. This is why the commission believes that the City of Montréal should be responsible for ensuring the leadership of the planning process to follow.

The recommendations of the commission aim to ensure harmonious and efficient integration of the hospital project into its urban environment.

• The commission recommends that the City take note, with MUHC authorities and other partners, of the deficiencies to be addressed to ensure the project's urban integration, and that it quickly act to correct them.
• The commission recommends that the City and its partners draw up without delay a development strategy and redevelopment plan for the area surrounding the Glen campus, paying particular attention to the area between the railway tracks and De Maisonneuve Boulevard, and to the area surrounding Vendôme station.
• The commission recommends that the City and MUHC develop a greater number of more convivial pedestrian accesses to the Glen campus.
• In terms of planned road work, the commission recommends that priority be accorded to the expansion of Décarie Boulevard between Saint-Jacques and De Maisonneuve, the reconstruction of the railway viaduc, and the work on Saint-Jacques Street between Saint-Rémi and the underground access to the MUHC.
• The commission recommends that the City and the Ministère des Transports delay and spread out other roadwork, notably the construction of new Highway 15 access ramps, according to how work on the hospital project is progressing, and on its impact on traffic.
• The commission recommends that the Shriners be involved in the process aimed at ensuring the functional consistency and visual harmony of the Glen campus buildings and spaces.
• The commission recommends that the city and the MUHC guarantee the continuity of the hospital vocation of the Glen site as a whole, and the sustainability of its development, by involving Westmount in the development agreements.
• The commission recommends that those responsible for road development ensure that vehicles using the MUHC's underground exit do not cut across traffic coming from the Ville-Marie Expressway or Saint-Jacques Street, by extending the underground exit up to Pullman Street, for example.
• The commission recommends that the City connect the existing sections of the bicycle path in a more functional manner, by following De Maisonneuve Boulevard or using the CP right-of-way.
• The commission recommends that the MUHC and the City restudy the possibility of building another public entrance with a level crossing at Claremont Avenue.
• The commission recommends that the City closely follow housing market developments in the MUHC's area of influence and that it take the necessary measures to preserve the existing stock of affordable housing.
• The commission recommends that the MUHC implement best sustainable development practices in all aspects of the hospital project, from its design to long-term management.

The commission believes that the public consultation calls on the leadership of the City of Montréal, and on the creativity and open-mindedness of those responsible for the McGill University Health Centre. The commission also believes that the MUHC and its partners will benefit from maintaining open lines of communication and joint action with residents throughout the planning and construction phases of the project.

To that end, the MUHC has confirmed that it wishes to co-operate with the community in making the hospital project a success. It has made significant gestures, reflected by the agreement reached with various community organizations. By taking into consideration and meeting the expectations brought to light by the public consultation process, the MUHC will ensure optimum conditions for the success of its project.

The mission of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal is to hold public hearings on all projects assigned by the City Council or Executive Committee. The Office has adopted credible, transparent and effective consultation mechanisms, upon completion of which it produces a report on the opinions expressed by public consultation participants and makes recommendations to the municipal administration.

Since its creation in September 2002, the OCPM has held more than 200 consultation meetings on over 65 projects, allowing thousands of Montrealers to gather information and express their opinions on a great variety of local and metropolitan projects.

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Luc Doray
Tel.: (514) 872-3568
Cell: (514) 977-8365