An innovative partnership between the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and the Commission scolaire de Montréal for new community spaces
MONTRÉAL, Nov. 4, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - The borough of Côte-des-Neiges?Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and the Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) are proud to announce a new partnership through which the borough will make a $3.2 million investment to enhance the planned addition to Les Enfants-du-Monde elementary school. This investment will go towards the construction of extra space that can be shared by the school, the borough and community partners. The aim of this initiative is to ensure quality sports and leisure activities in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
The timing is just right, Walkley Community Centre activities need a permanent home. Since Les Enfants-du-Monde elementary school is only 600 metres from the current location and is close to Parc Gilbert-Layton, it's the ideal place to create a new community activity hub for families in the neighbourhood.
"Our borough is a great place for families and our local schools form the heart of our neighbourhoods," says Sue Montgomery, Mayor of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges?Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. "I'm thrilled to be co-operating with school boards so that parents can send their children to quality schools close to home."
A win-win situation
Maximizing the use of existing facilities for the benefit of local residents is one of the key aspects of the Réflexe Montréal agreement, which is behind this initiative.
" We have a moral obligation to local organisations who work with residents in need. I am proud that our partnership will allow us to provide much needed and high-quality community spaces," says Christian Arseneault, Councillor for the district of Loyola.
The CSDM and the Ville de Montréal share many common goals and serve the same people. This is done in different ways: through services, equipment, facilities and infrastructure. Implementing joint strategies encourages young people and families to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Schools play an important role in residents' quality of life. "For many years, we have been working to open up our schools to the community and to bring the community into our schools," says Catherine Harel-Bourdon, Chair of the Commission scolaire de Montréal. "This type of partnership is perfectly in line with our desire to keep providing true neighbourhood schools that can enhance our students' quality of life and their success."
On top of maintaining the service offering and creating a community activity hub for the neighbourhood, this shared-use project will reduce costs associated with operating high-quality facilities and maximize their use.
"As a school board elected representative, it's part of my job to work in collaboration with all the partners in the community, including elected representatives at different levels of government, residents, and community organizations," says Marie-José Mastromonaco, Vice Chair of the CSDM and Commissioner for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce/Westmount. "To me, it seemed essential to help find a solution to continue to offer high-quality, accessible services to our students, to families, and to the entire population."
Although the project is in preliminary stages, it shows promise for the development of the neighbourhood. Further discussions will occur to decide the terms of the agreement with regard to the sharing and management of the premises.
SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Arrondissement de Côte-des-Neiges - Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
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