Green space behind Montreal’s St. Patrick’s Basilica sold

A little-known sanctuary sits just behind St. Patrick’s Basilica in the heart of the city’s business district. That’s where you’ll often find Phillipps Chu and his four-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, Milo.

“I’m here at least thrre times a day,” he tells Global News while walking Milo. “I come here for my dog, I come here for my girlfriend to have picnics.”

The land sits just south of the Basilica on de la Gauchetière Street between Saint-Alexandre and Beaver Hall.

He comes for the peace and quiet but at lunchtime when the weather is good, it’s hard to find somewhere to sit.

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“Anytime it’s a nice day, around lunchtime or even after dinner, this park fills up with people,” says Chu.

But he fears that could soon change.

The Basilica has sold a part of it to HEC, Université de Montréal’s business school. They plan to construct a 24,000-square-metre office complex for classrooms and administration offices.

But some local residents don’t like the idea.

“People from the community, people basically from the businesses in front, everyone basically benefits from this green space,” Chu explains.

Paulette Lachance, on a lunch break, agrees. She visits the park almost daily and says it’s a good place for people to gather as a community.

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“The people who work around here would come and do their workouts,” she explains. “They do [the] gym and run up and down the stairs and they do all their work-ups and push-ups and all these things.”

The Basilica says they had to sell the land for financial reasons, but that all won’t be lost. They give assurances that there are plans to develop the remaining green space so that the public can continue to enjoy the area.