The City of Montreal has decided to banish the public from further use of Rutherford Park, citing the threat of terrorism as their reason and claiming that this is "private" property. Don't let them do it.
for more info go to the
Saturday May 2 article in the GazetteNEWS Flash: The City of Montreal Department of Leaky Pipes have capitulated!!! See
news release in the May 7 Gazette.
Thank you to everyone who helped overturn the decision:
Milton Park Citizen's Comittee
McGill Thompson House
les Amis de la Montagne
Michelle Lalonde, Gazette reporter (and her daredevil photographer)
Deputy Mayor Helen Fotopulos
Green Party of Canada Westmount-Ville-Marie EDA
Albert Albala and the Parc Dupuis activists
All of you who signed the petition. Bravo!!!
Democracy rocks!
Petition to Halt the Banishment of the Public from Rutherford Park
Whereas Rutherford Park of Montreal has been a public green space for more than 100 years:
Whereas Rutherford Park is intensively used by local residents and student groups for structured and unstructured recreational sports activities;
Whereas Rutherford Park is the only public recreational surface available in the neighborhood;
Whereas the promotion of physical activity is paramount to public health and control of the obesity epidemic;
Whereas the City of Montreal already has a severe shortage of recreational green space;
Whereas Rutherford Park is a significant pedestrian route that has been used by citizens for many decades;
Whereas the City of Montreal is committed to sustainability and the promotion of alternative modes of transportation to reduce dependency on motor vehicles;
Whereas the global environment is in crisis due the excessive release of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere;
Whereas there has been no evidence that Rutherford Park or any other waterworks is vulnerable to or under any threat by terrorists;
Whereas the City of Montreal has decided to banish the public from Rutherford Park without public consultation or notification;
We the undersigned demand that all plans to close Rutherford Park be halted and that permanent measures be implemented to maintain the park in a safe condition to allow continued and unrestricted access by the public for recreational activities and as a pedestrian route.
