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New Saint-Michel park will serve as 'inspiration' to rest of world, Coderre says

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre says he wants the city to be world-renowned for its parks.

The city has announced the creation of a 2.5-square-kilometre park on the site of the Saint-Michel Environmental Complex.

Located in the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough in Montreal's north end, the former quarry and garbage dump will become a sprawling public green space as a part of Montreal's 375th anniversary celebrations.

Roughly 35 million tonnes of garbage were buried at the site over the decades, and signs of the landfill — including biogas monitoring devices and piping — remain.

But Coderre said the landfill will soon be cleaned up and serve as "an inspiration for the rest of the world."

It will feature paths and a lake, although not one for swimming.