Montreal skateboarders rally to save beloved P45 park from redevelopment threats

Skateboarders and community members met with city officials on Wednesday to discuss redevelopment plans that could lead to the removal of P45, a longstanding DIY skatepark in Montreal.

According to collective members responsible for its creation, the city is ignoring their cries to halt the demolition of their beloved park, which they built from the ground up piece by piece over the years by buying the concrete with their own money.

“To have a new skate park will not be the same, this is not what we want,” said Jean Brunelle-Bradette, skateboarder and concrete skatepark builder.

“What we want is to save the place, repair what needs to be repaired and I don’t think the city needs to spend like five million dollar on a project that the community doesn’t want and I don’t think it’s necessary because this park is still really skatable and this park is the favorite park of a lot of people,” said Frederique Luyet, skateboarder and collective member of Projet 45.

Instead, Luyet thinks the city should be allocating those funds towards repairs desperately needed at other parks in the Montreal area.

“They don’t need to destroy this, we can still skate it for at least 10 years if we take care of it and if we repair what needs to be repaired,” she added.

Described by supporters as an invaluable gathering place, for more than a decade, they’re hoping that their running petition with over 8,500 signatures will convince the city to restore the park instead.

“We put a petition online to save the p45 and then people like to sign it they all sign it because everyone likes p45 it’s not only people from the city but people from all around Canada, all around the world,” said Luyet.

Created as a free alternative next to Taz, a paid indoor park, the outdoor park has since attracted a large community of locals as well as international skateboarders who have come to know the park and it’s sense of community.

“There’s people here fighting to keep it alive because it’s just so meaningful,” said Kayden Cameron Corbett, skateboarder at Projet 45. “It has more meaning than most of the parks that are being built today and that’s why I like it so much.”

“The identity of DIY, I want the people in power understanding what it is and what it means for the culture, for the culture of this neighborhood here and also for the city of Montreal and how this place is actually putting a spot on the map of for all around the world, skateboarders are all around the world,” said Brunelle-Bradette.

“Right now, it’s time for the whole community to show up and show to the city that we don’t want a destruction we want a renovation, we want to save our favourite spot,” said Luyet.

When questioned on their intentions regarding Projet 45’s future, Projet Montreal wrote in an emailed statement to CityNews:

« We do not intend to destroy the skatepark, but rather wish to invest in renovating and redesigning it. Our local team is working closely with the community and the Montreal Skateboard Association to develop this project, and there is a workshop planned for tonight at Taz. We are in listening mode, we have received a list of requests from the skatepark community, and we have worked to incorporate as many of them as possible into what will be presented to the community tonight. And even if the project discussed tonight is not to the community’s liking, we are open to adapting it. »