Information Day and Hearing of Opinions on Planning and Development of Canadian National Shops Site in Pointe Saint-Charles

Montréal, January 15, 2009 – The Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) announces today the continuation of its consultation process on the development of the site of the old CN shops in the Pointe-Sainte-Charles area of the Sud-Ouest borough. The area, occupied predominantly by the railway and other industries, is slated for development in the next few years. The spaces in question have always played a prominent part in the history of Pointe Saint-Charles, and their future is of great interest to residents.

A first public information session was held on October 22 last. It allowed residents to familiarize themselves with the current process, aimed at establishing guiding principles for the planning and development of the site. The meetings announced today will provide insight into reflections on those principles, outline the developers’ preliminary development vision, and allow citizens to ask questions on those subjects and to express their opinions, either verbally or in the form of briefs. The report of the Office will be submitted to municipal authorities and be used in drawing up the regulatory framework for the projects to be carried out on the site.

To that end, a first activity will be held on Sunday, January 25. This information day will consist, in the morning from 10:00 a.m. to noon, in an “Open House,” where information booths of the main players and developers will be set up to allow citizens to pose their questions directly to the people involved. A morning activity is also planned for children. A public information meeting, incorporating a question period, will be held at 1:00 p.m. The meetings will take place at Centre Saint-Charles, located at 1055 Hibernia Street.

Another meeting, devoted exclusively to hearing opinions and briefs, will be held a few days later, on Tuesday, January 27, at 7:00 p.m., in the basement of Église Saint-Charles, at 2115 Centre Street. Briefs may be filed with the Office until Friday, February 6. Citizens are invited to participate in all these activities.
The consultation held by the OCPM under mandate of the City’s executive committee is part of a participatory process aimed at drawing up planning and development principles for the site. To that end, the Office brought together the main partners involved in the development and planning of the site within a steering committee and three reflection committees, to focus on the site’s industrial and residential issues and services available to local residents.

Information for this consultation is available at the OCPM offices and on its Web site, at www.ocpm.qc.ca. The documentation is also available for public perusal at the following locations during regular business hours:

• Sud-Ouest borough office
  815 Bel-Air Street
  Print version
• RÉSO
  1751 Richardson Street, Suite 6509
  Print version and Internet
• Carrefour d’éducation populaire de Pointe St-Charles
  2356 Centre Street
  Print version and Internet

For information, please call 514 872-8510.

Since its creation under the Charter of Ville de Montréal in 2002, the OCPM has managed 70 consultation projects and held 250 public meetings attended by over 20,000 citizens. Please visit the OCPM Web site at www.ocpm.qc.ca for complete information about the Office.

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