Rosemont- La Petite Patrie: An environmental neighborhood.
In 2020, when I was looking for a place to live in Montreal, I had my heart set on a neighborhood East of the Downtown Core called Rosemont – La Petite Patrie. I was drawn to it because of its access to local markets, big parks and green space, and the Botanical Gardens, my favorite part of the city.
What came as a very pleasant surprise to me upon moving here was the environmental neighborhood’s commitment to the environment. Every season, they send everyone “Le Bulletin,” which is a recap of all the activities and events that take place in the neighborhood. It also includes some of the environmental achievements that they are continuously working on each season, which I’d like to highlight in this article.
Accessibility to bike paths all year round
Rosemont – La Petite Patrie is continuously adding new bike paths in the environmental neighborhood, which are protected, safe, and highly used regardless of the weather. The neighborhood is also committed to keeping the bike paths clear all year round and has a separate snow removal team that takes care of clearing the bike paths when it snows.
Increasing green cover and enriching biodiversity
In 2023, over 1000 trees, including fruit trees, were planted across the environmental neighborhood. In the same year, 384 Rosemont citizens planted trees in their yards as part of a campaign “Un arbre pour mon quartier” (a tree for my neighborhood)
Volunteers have also been planting trees to grow microforests in various parks in Rosemont. In just three summers since the trees were planted, the micro forests have grown 4m (starting at just 30-60cm when they were planted)
In 2022, 18 tree drainage pits were set up to help gather water from heavy rains and reduce flooding nearby. In 2023, trees were planted in these tree drainage pits, and ongoing research is being done to measure the benefits of runoff water on the trees.
There have been several new additions of green spaces to help reduce the heat island effects in this environmental neighborhood, as well as new drainage spaces and an increase in community gardens. They are also always creating outdoor spaces for children to play and people to get together.
Promoting composting
As with many areas in Montreal, composting has been a luxury for people who live in houses and duplexes. Apartment buildings and businesses were often excluded from this service. In fall 2023, Rosemont introduced compost pick up in buildings with nine or more apartments, industries, and institutions that have not been served before.
Many other projects are led by Rosemont citizens, including greening our environmental neighborhood and gardening. Every year, Rosemont gives out free flowers and compost for people to plant in their gardens or on their balconies. I’ve volunteered with this for a few years, and it’s always remarkable to see how many people come out to get plants and compost.
It is a neighborhood committed to going green, which is a pleasant thing to see. This is part of the reason why I chose to run in the 2022 provincial election in this neighborhood: I know the people living here are committed to making a change.
I’ve never lived in a place like this before. Receiving the updates every season always makes me smile to see all the environmental efforts taking place. Rosemont – La Petite Patrie is a great example of what a neighborhood can do to combat climate change and make a positive environmental impact. It is a great example of an environmental neighborhood and what other neighborhoods can do in Montreal and everywhere.
