TMR residents want to save curling club from destruction: ‘This is a historical building’

The province’s largest curling club says it’s being kicked out of its building, and Montrealers are doing their part to preserve it.

The Town of Mount Royal Curling Club says the City of Montreal is trying to build a sports complex in its place.

“This is so short sighted. You cannot destroy something like this,” said Sylvie Gravel, the curling club’s executive secretary.

“This is a historical building. This is a building that has way more significance than how it serves the immediate community of TMR.”

In 2020, TMR residents voted in favour of building a new sports complex proposed by the previous administration. The board of directors of the curling club say they want to see this project come to life, but not at the expense of their club.

“As a resident of TMR I voted in favour of this project, so I’m certainly not against the idea of having a new sports facility,” said Gravel.

A petition to save the curling club has since garnered more than 3,000 signatures.

“The vision that we have is not against curling per se, it’s not about the curling club, but it’s a vision that is in the interest of the majority of residents old and young who use recreational and leisure facilities in TMR which are inadequate,” said Peter Malouf, the mayor of the Town of Mount Royal.

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Members say curling is highly beneficial for residents of all ages and the proposed complex seems to put aside the needs of seniors.

“Because it’s much more than a physical activity,” said Gravel. “It’s also a cognitive effort. They often refer to curling as chess on ice, so curling remains interesting even when your hips are not what they used to be or your knees, and the sport provides adaptive measure so older people can continue to play because there’s such enjoyment playing that sport. You gather with your friends, it’s more than just a physical activity.”

“You can be this age or you can be my son’s age, 30, and incredibly fit, or you can be 70,” said member John Cawlay. “And there’s partly this sense of community all the curling clubs I’ve belonged to. They raise funds for the community, they have social events, they have all these activities.”

The building on Montgomery Avenue, near the Canora train station, turns 70 years old next year. It’s one of eight curling clubs available in the greater Montreal area.

“It’s actually one of the only two six-sheet curling clubs in Quebec and the only one in Montreal that’s this big. It’s really important for us to keep it,” said Alanna Routledge, the director of competition at Curling Quebec.

“It has a huge place in Quebec and we would really hate to lose it.”

For the past five months, the club has tried to sit down with Mayor Malouf, who says he’s been meaning to but more pressing matters have forced the delay.

He insists no plans are set in stone and will bring up the concerns with council.

“It’s a challenge, I do get it,” he said. “But there has to be a reason why. You just have a small amount of residents using it, a small number of people using it, a building that is only used six months out of the year that’s subsidized by the taxpayers of TMR.

“But I think there could be many arguments that could be in favour of finding a facility that would service the majority of residents in TMR.”

Members argue that although their club has fewer members than sports like figure skating, for example, it doesn’t minimize the importance of the club in the community and beyond. They believe a compromise can be achieved.