Park Governance – A Collaborative Partnership Between Les amis de la montagne and the City of Montreal

Since its foundation in 1986 as a grassroots movement to prevent the construction of a telecommunications tower and accompanying tourist operations on top of Mount Royal, Les amis de la montagne has evolved into the only not-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the protection and enhancement of Mount Royal.

Mount Royal, commonly referred to as “the mountain” by Montrealers, spans 10 km2 at the heart of the Island of Montreal. It is home not only to 230+ hectares of densely wooded parklands set in a unique urban forest, but also to universities, hospitals, cemeteries, religious institutions and residential neighbourhoods. Les amis de la montagne works with these stakeholders, the community at large and municipal authorities to encourage enlightened decision-making in support of the sustainable planning, development and improvement of Mount Royal as a whole, with a focus on preserving its valuable cultural and natural heritage.

Park People spoke with Hélène Panaïoti, Executive Director of Les amis de la montagne, and Pierre-Paul Savignac, Division Head, Bureau du Mont-Royal at the City of Montreal about how these two entities work together to make the iconic mountain and its parks accessible to all. A strong, cooperative working relationship, their commitment to collaboration with stakeholders and the quality of services offered to the public have defined their success.

In addition to being an advocacy organization, Les amis de la montagne leads environmental awareness, community engagement and environmental conservation activities on the mountain. It also secures significant private donations that have leveraged major public contributions for park improvements.

By formal agreement with the City of Montreal, Les amis provides welcome and visitor services in Mount Royal Park along with a full slate of nature programs for schools and youth, as well as cultural and outdoor recreational activities such as walking tours, a cross-country ski club, a summer day camp, guided snowshoe treks and more. The organization’s gift shops, three Café des Amis food outlets and winter sports equipment rentals are also valued park services, with the net proceeds reinvested in Mount Royal Park.

“Our goal in providing these activities is to have immediate engagement with park users, to introduce them to Mount Royal Park, a masterpiece of park design by Frederick Law Olmsted. It is also a chance to instill the notion that we are all custodians of this exceptional urban green space and that each one of us can do something to protect it,” Hélène Panaïoti explained to Park People.

“The response has been tremendous. Over the decades, hundreds of Montrealers have volunteered their time and expertise for the betterment of the Park and mountain through work on our various working committees. Over 15,000 more have lent a hand to Les amis’s Environmental Stewardship Program. Not to mention the thousands of loyal donors to our mission, including major funders who have given generously to Les amis for Park improvement projects such as the renovation of Beaver Lake Pavilion, building an artificial skating rink and a children’s playground for free public use, and the restoration of Smith House,” she added.

Both Hélène and Pierre-Paul highlighted that the collaborative relationship between Les amis and the City of Montréal results in a better stewardship of the park and better services to Montrealers, frequent visitors and tourists. When it comes to collaboration, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, Pierre-Paul emphasized.

Mount Royal stretches across a part of the City of Westmount, four Montréal boroughs, and the properties of several major landowners including two historic cemeteries, Saint-Joseph’s Oratory of Mount-Royal, McGill University and Université de Montréal, as well as several hospitals. Each has a responsibility in conserving the mountain’s cultural and natural heritage and achieving the nature conservation goals set out by the provincial and municipal governments respectively for territory, designated by Quebec in 2005 as the Mount Royal Heritage Site. Les amis de la montagne maintains close ties and ongoing communications with these stakeholders, starting with the City of Montreal, to ensure that individual plans and projects dovetail with overall preservation and improvement goals. It plays an important role in facilitating joint efforts required for tackling challenges that affect the whole territory such as the ongoing emerald ash borer infestation.

Les amis’s offices are located in Smith House, a historic building at the heart of Mount Royal Park, which is owned by the City of Montreal and was renovated by the non-profit organization with generous funding from the community. As such, the organisation is ideally positioned to advise the City about the day-to-day issues arising in the park, which attracts over 5,000,000 visitors a year.

The City of Montréal contributes to Les amis’s operating budget for the provision of welcome services, educational programs and a conservation patrol in Mount Royal Park. The City also leases to the organisation free of charge spaces in the Park buildings from which the Les amis operates, including Smith House as well as parts of the Beaver Lake Pavilion and the Mount Royal Chalet. Thanks to this arrangement, Les amis generated 63% of its $4M budget in 2017-18 through programs and services offered to park users, reinvesting the net proceeds in environmental education and stewardship programs in the Park. Pierre-Paul explains that this mutual arrangement results in better services and activities for park users.

In 2015, the Bureau du Mont-Royal hired a full-time Park Ranger, who ensures that Mount Royal Park is well maintained and used in ways that protect parkland integrity. The Park Ranger, with whom Les amis liaises on a daily basis, plays a vital role in effectively coordinating the different City departments, boroughs and services involved in the Park including the police and fire departments.

Les amis de la montagne has played a key role in ensuring effective communication between stakeholders who share a vested interest in Mount Royal. After the Quebec Government conferred the special status of Mount Royal Heritage Site to the territory in 2005, Les amis was instrumental in creating the Table de concertation du Mont-Royal. Administered by the Bureau du Mont-Royal, this working table brings together all mountain stakeholders along with representatives from different municipal departments and the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications. The group, comprised of some 30 members, meets three times a year and, along with its subcommittees, advises the City on specific issues and improvements that fall under the jurisdiction of Montréal.

While each member of the Table de concertation du Mont-Royal has its own core mission which intersect with the mountain – such as education, health, environmental protection or Montreal’s cultural heritage – Les amis de la montagne is the only one whose exclusive raison d’être is to protect and improve the mountain.  

According to Hélène, having the Park Ranger has improved the City’s effectiveness in addressing issues relating to park use, maintenance and safety.

Les amis de la montagne’s location at the heart of mountain gives it a valuable purview of daily life on Mount Royal and its namesake park. Direct contact with park users and involvement with mountain stakeholders and members of the community in numbers gives Les amis a good sense of what Montrealers want for their mountain, and of emerging developments and challenges that require careful consideration and judicious actions.

The existence of the Table de concertation du Mont-Royal has ensured that stakeholders can come together to tackle complex issues with greater efficiency. The joint campaign to contend with the emerald ash borer across the mountain is a good example of such a unified approach.

"This working table has also been successful in shaping a shared vision for the common good of the mountain and integrating the sustainable development of Mount Royal as a goal in individual stakeholders’ plans and projects," explains Hélène. "It also provides a forum for rich debate and influence on critical projects with profound implications for the integrity and future of Mount Royal."

Pierre-Paul also points out that while the Table de concertation du Mont-Royal and its members works in an advisory capacity to the City of Montréal, ultimately the City has jurisdiction over for much of the territory and as such, makes final decisions. As would be expected, there are differing stakeholder opinions on certain decisions made by the City.

• In addition to working with mountain stakeholders, the community and municipal authorities to promote the protection of Mount Royal through sustainable planning, development and improvement, Les Amis de la Montagne leads environmental awareness, community engagement, welcome and visitor services and environmental conservation activities, principally in Mount Royal Park.
• Having a dedicated Park Ranger helps the Bureau du Mont-Royal liaise with Les amis and the municipal departments involved in caring for the park, with a direct positive impact on the state of Mount Royal Park.
• A testament to shared commitment by Mount Royal stakeholders to work collaboratively, the Table de concertation du Mont-Royal has been instrumental in shaping a shared vision for the common good of the mountain and in incorporating this vision in individual stakeholder projects on Mount Royal. It also provides a forum for rich debate and influence on critical projects with profound implications for the future of Mount Royal.

Les Amis's structure and its partnership with the City of Montréal allows it to generate considerable revenues through the provision of a variety of visitor services and programs in the Park, with the net proceeds reinvested by Les Amis in environmental education and stewardship programs in the Park. This collaborative relationship results in a better stewardship of the Mount Royal Park and better services to Montrealers, frequent visitors and tourists visiting the Park.