Renewal of Lease for Radio-Canada Antenna on Mount Royal: OCPM Recommends Shorter Term Agreement

Montréal, December 10, 2008 – The OCPM made public on Monday its consultation report on the draft lease agreement for the site of the Société Radio-Canada (SRC) broadcasting antenna in Parc du Mont-Royal. The consultation was held in October, at the request of the City of Montréal executive committee.

In addition to the SRC installations, the 111.9-metre-tall tower supports the services of some 20 broadcasters serving the greater Montréal area. The SRC wishes to continue to occupy the same site, located in the historic and natural borough of Mont Royal, to modify some of the antennas to comply with Health Canada safety standards, and to install additional antennas to ensure digital television service for the Montréal area. The new draft agreement provides for the leasing of the same site for a term of ten years, with an option to renew for an additional five years. The rent to be paid by Radio-Canada would amount to $500,000 for the first year, indexed annually to increases in the consumer price index.
The SRC broadcasting tower has been a fixture in the Montréal landscape for 50 years. However, the commission notes that recommendations made repeatedly by the City and various consultation bodies upon previous lease renewals have not been taken into account. These involved, among other things, relocating the structure and diminishing its visual impact.

The public consultation brought together approximately 60 citizens and representatives of mountain and heritage protection organizations. It confirmed the concerns expressed by citizens in the past and during the consultation held recently by the OCPM on the draft Mount Royal Master Protection and Enhancement Plan. These concerns have to do with the importance of strengthening protection measures for the mountain’s various forms of heritage, particularly its landscapes.

This is the first time that the lease has come up for renewal since the mountain was designated the Historic and Natural Borough of Mont-Royal. The commission supports the opinion expressed by participants that the development requested by the SRC constitutes an exceptional privilege and should be only temporary, until the advent of new technology.

Since broadcasting technologies evolve quickly, and given the importance that Montrealers accord to the protection of their mountain, the commission recommends that amendments be made to the provisions of the lease renewal to shorten its term from ten to five years, with an option to renew for five years, provided that Société Radio-Canada publicly release, before exercising the option, three studies addressing previously presented requests:

• A study evaluating the feasibility of and costs associated with relocating the tower outside of the limits of Mount Royal;
• A study on the history and objective evaluation of the intrinsic quality of the tower in terms of engineering;
• A landscape study to identify measures to diminish, or even eliminate, the visual impact of the tower, or, as required, to enhance its appearance.

The commission also recommends:

• That a report be publicly released every five years on the installation’s compliance with safety standards in force;
• That the income stemming from the agreement be invested solely in the protection of Mount Royal’s heritage, and that the allocation of sums invested from the income stemming from the agreement be made public on an annual basis.

The documentation pertaining to the consultation is available in electronic format on the Web site of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (www.ocpm.qc.ca) or, in print form, at the OCPM offices during regular business hours. Information is also available from the OCPM by telephone, at 514 872-3568.

Created under section 75 of the Charter of Ville de Montréal, the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) is an independent organization whose mission is to carry out public consultation mandates pertaining to Montréal’s urban and land-use planning and on any project designated by the city council or executive committee.

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