Southwest residents call for more public access to Lachine Canal

Jocelyne Berniersays she's lived in Pointe-St-Charlesfor more than 40 years, but that in all that timeshe and her neighbours haven't had proper access to the LachineCanal, which borders the community.

Bernierwas one of a couple dozen people to paddle rented canoes to a private wharf owned by a condo complex and occupy the dock over lunch on Saturday.

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The initiative wasorganized by local community group Action-Gardien,and it saw somewear pirate hats and holdbanners decrying privatization.

Their fear, Berniersays, is that as more of these condos pop up along the waterway, officially owned by Parks Canada, there will never be public access to it.

"When I came here, this was an industrial space," Berniersaid whilesitting on the dock. "And one by one, piece by piece, the developers bought the ground and built these condos."

There are high banks between the canal and the public spaces lining it, including a bike path and patches of grass with benches and picnic tables.

Bernierwould like to see public wharfsso Pointe-St-Charles and Saint-Henri residents can dip their feet in just as much as the condo dwellers with access to quais can.

"I never even see them use the wharf. I think they are going to their house in the country or something like that," Berniersaid.

Some condo residents gathered on a ground floor balcony to watch, but there were no clashes between them and the group occupying the quai.

It's not only access to the water itself the community members want more of,Berniersays, but more public housing, too.

The group says the developers have been given too much leeway to build in the area.

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The area's development and gentrification has pushed rents up, further marginalizing people who've lived their for decades, they add.

NatachaAlexandroff is part of the History Society of Pointe-St-Charles, as well as Action-Gardien, and drew parallels between that development and access to the canal.

"It's for the elite only," she said.

The issue of private docks on the waterway has been denounced before. In 2015, Projet Montral'sformer leaderLuc Ferrandezcalled on Parks Canada to stop the canal's "privatization."

Craig Sauv, a Projet Montral city councillor for the Southwest borough, told CBC Radio'sHomerun at the time that docks "should be accessible to everyone."

The docks are often blocked off by alocked black cage leading to a staircase, which in turn leadsto the water.

Parks Canada did not return a request for comment on Saturday.