Fearing demolition, Montreal skateboarders rally to protect DIY skatepark from city

MONTREAL — Frédérique Luyet hops on her skateboard, rides the half pipe and pulls off a trick. But the spot where she honed her skills and practises to this day is not your ordinary skatepark.

The outdoor, do-it-yourself space she favours is called Project 45, which sits sandwiched between a soccer stadium in Montreal’s Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough and Le TAZ, what is billed as Canada’s largest indoor skatepark.

The space took shape in 2010 when skateboarders built it with their own hands, using land belonging to the city of Montreal but with what they say was the blessing of Le TAZ.

But since late September, skateboarders like Luyet have begun to fear they may lose their beloved skatepark amid the city’s plans to redevlop the space.

“I poured concrete here with my friends and I did the rebar … We spent our own money doing it,” Luyet said Saturday in an interview, adding that unlike the vast majority of other skateparks, the space is built for transition skating instead of street-style skating.

Luyet, a skater for the past 25 years, said Project 45 offered the challenging space needed to develop her skills and ultimately represent her country in competitions in Brazil and Qatar.

“The only way I was able to practice and (get to) a certain level of skating (on) big ramps is because I had P 45,” Luyet said.

On Saturday, she and other local skateboarders gathered at the park for an event to raise awareness dubbed “Skate and Don’t Destroy.”

Marie-Pier Hamelin, who helped organize the event, said the city has recently told the skating community it planned to demolish the skatepark as part of a rebuild project.

In response, she launched an online petition to preserve the skatepark in early October and had gathered more than 6,200 signatures as of Saturday afternoon.

“It’s part of our culture, and we want to show that it’s not only a place for sport, but it’s a place for community to gather … We know it’s not perfect, but we want to work with the city to find a in-between (solution) and avoid the complete demolition of the spot,” she said in an interview.

Hamelin said she welcomes investment from the city to restore and expand the skatepark, but she wants to preserve the unique space cherished by the skater community.

Fellow skateboarder Sébastien Petit got involved in building the skatepark in 2011.

“We started to build this out of necessity because we didn’t have a better skate park and through the years …we built the community,” he said, describing the construction process as a bonding experience with fellow community members.

“We think it’s part of the Montreal skateboarding legacy,” said Petit.

But while the skateboarders fear the loss of Project 45, the City of Montreal told The Canadian Press it appreciates the skatepark’s value to the community and said it has no plans to tear it down.

“It’s true that some of the equipment has reached the end of its useful life cycle, hence our desire to restore, improve and update it, but under no circumstances to demolish this iconic venue,” it said in a statement.

“Our aim is to adapt the redevelopment to their expectations, while respecting current safety and sustainability standards,” the City said, adding it will be consulting with community members to hear their concerns.

A representative from the city was at the skatepark on Saturday speaking with some of the event organizers.

Philippe Jolin, general director of Le Taz, declined to comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2024.

Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press