winter boon: sud-ouest borough to clear snow from 5 kilometres of lachine canal paths
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pedestrians and cyclists alike use the multifunctional path west of atwater market in montreal on thursday, dec. 18, 2025. the city's sud-ouest borough has signed a two-year agreement with parks canada to clear the snow on the lachine canal path for cyclists, walkers and runners.
dave sidaway
/
montreal gazette
winter just became more interesting for walkers, runners and cyclists who use the multifunctional paths along the lachine canal in summer.
the sud-ouest borough has signed an agreement with parks canada to clear the snow on five kilometres of asphalted pathway along the canal from de l’église ave. to de la commune st. for the next two winters. the south bank will be cleared west of the atwater footbridge and the north bank will be cleared east of the footbridge.
the paths “will benefit pedestrians and cyclists throughout the winter,” borough spokesperson marie-noëlle hébert said. the borough says the move is part of a plan to promote active mobility to combat climate change.
“thanks to this historic agreement with parks canada, the entire borough will be accessible via the lachine canal park multifunctional path,” hébert said.
the griffintown neighbourhood abuts the canal to the east of atwater market, between georges-vanier blvd. and de la commune. numerous condominium towers built in the neighbourhood in the last decade have contributed to heavy foot, wheel and paw traffic along the canal.
the borough has already been paying for snow removal on a 2.35-kilometre section of the path on the north side of the canal, between atwater market and de la commune, and bordering griffintown, for the last few winters.
the new agreement with parks canada, which the borough council approved at a special meeting this week, adds a 2.73-kilometre section to be cleared by the borough west of atwater market. the new section, on the south side, runs from just east of the atwater footbridge to the côte-st-paul footbridge at de l’église.
a formal agreement with parks canada was necessary because the canal and its banks are federal property. the agreement, which grants permission to the borough “to access and move about on these grounds,” runs to april 30, 2027. it contains a two-year renewal option.
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parks canada has decided to discontinue a project it launched a few years ago to groom the lachine canal west of atwater market for fat bikes and skiing because the variable weather conditions made it difficult to maintain.
the borough’s decision to do snow removal “will meet the needs of a greater number of users of the canal trail during the winter,” hébert said.
the borough also approved a $30,675 contract, plus $20,000 in related costs, to clear snow on the canal this winter at its meeting this week. it calls for mechanical snow removal to be carried out on the asphalted paths while the footbridges will be manually cleared. abrasives and de-icing agents will be used, but the civil service report on the contract suggests these will be used sparingly to minimize their ecological effect on the canal.
the city’s sud-ouest borough has signed a two-year agreement with parks canada to clear the snow on the lachine canal multifunctional path for cyclists, walkers and runners.
dave sidaway
/
montreal gazette
no snow removal or de-icing work had started as of thursday. however, the slippery paths didn’t stop a slew of dog-walkers, a handful of runners and the odd cyclist from using the paths east and west of atwater market.
alexandre dubé and david vachon, who were strolling on the canal path near wellington bridge during their lunch hour, said the path was particularly treacherous that day. but they said they look forward to seeing it cleared for the rest of the winter.
“we walk here two days a week during our lunch hour, winter and summer,” dubé said.
“it’s going to be great for residents around here,” vachon said. “when they do snow removal, they just have to be careful not to damage trees.”
however, sharing of the well-used canal paths by cyclists and walkers is a sore point for some.
“i think it’s ok,” griffintown resident athena fotiou said of the borough’s plan to clear snow. but she’s leery of seeing more salt and stones spread where the borough already clears snow, and is concerned about more bikes.
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fotiou, who was walking her dog pete on the north-side path near wellington bridge on thursday, said electric bikes, in particular, often exceed the 20 km/h speed limit on the canal.
“sometimes they’re going so fast and they come so close to us that i can feel the wind from the bike,” she said. “they’re even worse in the winter because they’re unstable.”
as well, spreading salt and stones is hard on dogs’ paws, fotiou said. “we come to the canal so that the dog doesn’t have to walk all over that on the sidewalks.”
for others, snow removal will make the canal paths safer to use.
“i think it’s a nice place to walk and spend time,” said rhys halsey-watkins, who was commuting from an appointment near the atwater footbridge on thursday.
he doesn’t live in the area, halsey-watkins said, but has used the paths in the summer. in winter, the paths become icy and slippery from the shifting temperatures and melt-freeze episodes, he said.
the plan to do snow removal, he said, is “safer, it’s more enjoyable. it allows us to use our public spaces more.”
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