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| back to previous page |
March 30, 2006 |
Member News |
| Université de Montréal acquires switching yard site | |
| The Université de Montréal (UdeM) has exercised today its option to buy the switching yard site in the borough of Outremont. The site, measuring over 180,000 m(2), was the property of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The university plans to use the land to create a university campus, giving this part of the city a collective use. "This is a historic phase in our institution's history," stated vice-rector of planning, Pierre Simonet. "By deploying its activities on this site, the university will be able to pursue its development, meeting the community's needs for science education and the furtherance of scientific knowledge." Note that, last September, the City of Montréal and borough of Outremont officially and enthusiastically indicated that they supported the UdeM in developing this major project. An important step In acquiring the property, the UdeM is taking a major step toward developing a new university campus, which will be an extension of its main campus on the slopes of Mount Royal. On the basis of this excellent start, the university will be able to move forward in negotiations with the various levels of government for remediating the site and making it viable. "Canadian Pacific Railway is delighted with the Outremont Yard's new vocation," remarked Ronald Bilodeau, Vice President, Government Affairs. "Bringing this large property back into the urban weave will mean better harmonization with the surrounding areas, thus helping to improve the quality of life in the neighbourhood, while enabling the rail links and services that are essential to Montreal's economy to remain in place." In fact, the acquisition contract stipulates that yard activities will cease as soon as an agreement for relocating them is reached with the various tiers of government. The rail link connecting the Port of Montreal to CPR's Saint-Luc Yard, located further to the west, will be retained, although the tracks will be moved toward the northern edge of the property. Finally, commuter service between Blainville and Montréal will not be affected by the transaction in any way. To handle the transaction, priced at 18 million dollars, the UdeM will take out a loan, which will not affect the institution's operating budget. Consultation process Of Canada's research universities, the UdeM is, to date, the least well-endowed in terms of space per student. Moreover, the current campus, located in the historic and natural district of Mount Royal, is in essence saturated, and cannot meet the university's future needs adequately. An internal work group has been mandated to plan, in consultation with the university community, how to reorganize the campus around two poles so that the university can fulfill its teaching and research missions in a complete and responsible manner. Parallel to the steps being taken with the university community, UdeM has undertaken a consultation process with area residents. In agreement with the Ville de Montréal, the university will submit its project for public consultation via the Office de consultation de Montréal. About the Université de Montréal Founded in 1878, the Université de Montréal today includes 13 faculties and, in conjunction with its two affiliated schools, HEC Montréal and Ecole Polytechnique, is Québec's largest higher education and research institution, the second largest such institution in Canada, and among the most important in North America. It has 2,400 professors and researchers, a student population of close to 55,000, offers more than 650 undergraduate and graduate programs, and awards approximately 3,000 Master's and Ph.D. degrees a year. About Canadian Pacific Railway Canadian Pacific Railway is a transcontinental carrier operating in Canada and the U.S. Its 14,000-mile rail network serves the principal centres of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, and the U.S. Northeast and Midwest regions. CPR feeds directly into America's heartland from the East and West coasts. Alliances with other carriers extend its market reach throughout the U.S. and into Mexico. Canadian Pacific Railway is marking its 125th anniversary in 2006. For more information, visit CPR's website at www.cpr.ca. |
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Contact Information: Sophie Langlois, Director, Media Relations, Université de Montréal, (514) 343-7704; Michel Spénard, Manager, Public Affairs & Media Relations Canadian Pacific Railway, (514) 395-7265 |
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Association of Canada 99 Bank Street, Suite 901 Ottawa, ON K1P 6B9 Telephone: (613) 567-8591 Fax: (613) 567-6726 |
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