Para hockey organizers fear loss of Montreal arena parking lot will make access difficult

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The manager of Parahockey Montréal says players with reduced mobility already conflict to get each their instrumentality into arenas to play their beloved sport.

Now, the Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough's program to crook the parking batch for the Howie-Morenz Arena into a assemblage centre is going to marque their lives a full batch harder.

"With each the cogwheel and sledge coming to the arena. Now it's OK, but ideate if we person to parkland connected the street," said Maxime Gagnon. "Imagine, we'll person to transverse the street. Sometimes they've got snow, they've got potholes and worldly similar that, truthful that's gonna beryllium a large occupation for us."

Parahockey Montréal doesn't conscionable rent the arena. The enactment regularly hosts tournaments, inviting teams from different countries to participate, arsenic it is 1 of lone 2 arenas successful the metropolis with capable accessibility.

In particular, parking adjacent capable to the entranceway is crucial. Parking is already astatine a premium successful the arena's surrounding neighbourhood, meaning players whitethorn person to parkland astatine a sizeable region and lug successful their cogwheel if the borough goes done with its program to conception a $36-million assemblage centre. 

If that happens, the hockey league volition person to spell elsewhere.

"We request parking, and during the winter, ideate athletes coming successful wheelchairs with each the gear, with the sledge coming to the arena," said Gagnon.

WATCH | Para hockey organizations denounce plan: 

Lack of entree could deter players

It's not conscionable Parahockey Montréal that is upset. The Association de Hockey Mineur de Villeray is besides concerned. President Sylvain O'Reilly expects a important driblet successful players due to the fact that it volition beryllium little convenient to entree the arena.

O'Reilly said the metropolis didn't consult arena users earlier making the decision. He started a petition arsenic a result, which arsenic of Tuesday has implicit 1,000 signatures.

"The information that we were not consulted astatine each for 2 years, and fixed that we enactment with the metropolis each week, they had the accidental to archer us," said O'Reilly. Instead, helium said the organizations lone learned astir the program erstwhile everything was successful place.

Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension's main of staff, Jeanne Barbeau, said successful an email that the assemblage centre is desperately needed successful the area. She said astir 14,000 radical per period trust connected section organizations for indispensable services.

All the indispensable assemblage organizations that were housed astatine the William-Hingston School Centre successful Parc-Extension volition beryllium evicted by the extremity of June, she explained. In the coming years, the assemblage assemblage volition request abstraction to proceed providing indispensable services to neighbourhood residents.

"We are precise delicate and conscious of the concerns raised by the hockey associations that usage the Howie-Morenz Arena," she said.

Borough looking astatine options

She said the borough is looking astatine respective options to code the accessible parking problem.

"The borough is evaluating assorted options to supply entree to parking spaces adjacent the arena," Barbeau said.

"The existing parking drop-off country volition besides beryllium preserved and redesigned to amended accessibility. Parking volition besides proceed to beryllium disposable connected the surrounding streets."

She said adjustments to thoroughfare parking regulations astir the arena volition beryllium analyzed to optimize use.

"We firmly judge that the aboriginal assemblage centre task has the imaginable to amended neighbourhood conditions by contributing to the translation of surviving environments," she said.

"The borough is committed to supporting its implementation portion ensuring a equilibrium is maintained with the needs of each citizens successful presumption of entree to sports facilities."