Tennis Canada says it needs a new stadium in Jarry Park. Worried residents say they need their 'green lung'

For more than 20 years, Michel Lafleur has watched what he describes as a “delicate balance” take shape at Montreal’s Jarry Park, which serves as both a much-needed green space and host to an annual professional tennis tournament.

With Tennis Canada now planning to build a new stadium in the park, Lafleur feels that balance is threatened. He is among those opposing the project and urging the organization — and the City of Montreal — to consider other options.

“For a lot of people, the park is their green lung, their connection to nature, where they can get some exercise; it’s super important,” said Lafleur, who heads the Coalition des amis du parc Jarry. “Tennis Canada should not be taking any more of it.”

Tennis Canada announced its intention to build a new stadium in the park in late June, stressing it’s necessary in order to ensure the National Bank Open tournament remains in Quebec.

While the project is still in the planning stages, the non-profit organization says the new facility would have a retractable roof, increased seating and new indoor and outdoor courts.

While Tennis Canada studied the possibility of renovating the existing IGA Stadium in the park, it concluded building a new one was the best option, in part because it would allow the tournament to continue during construction.

For Lafleur, whose association was formed in response to the stadium’s expansion in the early 2000s, the new plan simply goes too far and raises concerns about the park’s future.

Lafleur noted the park borders Parc-Extension, one of Montreal’s most densely populated neighbourhoods, and is the sole green space many locals have access to.

He also worries that adding a roof to the stadium means it could host more events year-round, regularly drawing large crowds to the area and fundamentally changing the park’s character.

“It’s truly incompatible with the park’s purpose,” he said.

The plan also calls for the new stadium to be built over an existing baseball field, a proposal that has already drawn the ire of a local youth baseball club that relies on it.

While Tennis Canada promises to build a new baseball field nearby to replace it, there are concerns that won’t materialize.

“Once you lose it, it’s hard to get back,” said Zachary Patterson, a local coach who is part of a citizens’ group already fighting the loss of another baseball field in the borough.

Contacted for this article, Tennis Canada said it understands the project raises questions within the community and noted that’s why it opted to share its plans early in the process.

The organization pushed back against the notion the new stadium would expand its footprint in the park but, at the same time, said it’s too early to know how much park space it would ultimately occupy.

The project’s objective is not only to secure the tournament’s future, it said, but also to build facilities that serve the community and are “thoughtfully integrated” into the park.

“We believe these goals can, and should, be achieved together,” it added.

Tennis Canada says that, over the long term, the existing stadium would be demolished in order to free up space in the park for public use.

The opposing views on the project have led to calls for the City of Montreal to clarify its vision for Jarry Park in the coming years.

In a statement to The Gazette, Christine Black, the executive committee member responsible for families, sports and recreation, said the city is speaking with Tennis Canada and other stakeholders about how to best develop the park.

“We want to preserve its public and accessible nature while ensuring the long-term future of the National Bank Open, an event that contributes to our city’s sporting reputation and inspires the next generation,” Black wrote.

Lafleur said he would like to see the city take a stronger position on the issue. He argues the city should prioritize residents’ needs and stop the organization from “eating away” at park space.

Others echoed that sentiment at Tuesday evening’s Villeray—St-Michel—Parc-Extension borough council meeting, urging council members to show leadership and oppose the project before it advances to the next stage.

“It’s up to Tennis Canada to find ways to do this within the space they have, or to find other industrial land to use ,” said resident Marc Langlois. “But it can’t be done in a park.”