Winter just got a lot more accessible for Montrealers who love to walk, run, or cycle along the Lachine Canal. In a significant move for year-round active transportation, the city's Sud-Ouest borough has inked a two-year agreement with Parks Canada to mechanically clear snow from five kilometres of the canal's popular multifunctional paths.
A Historic Agreement for Winter Access
The deal, approved at a special borough council meeting this week, covers the asphalted pathways from de l’Église Avenue to de la Commune Street for the next two winters. The specific sections include the south bank west of the Atwater footbridge and the north bank east of the same footbridge. This formal arrangement was necessary as the canal and its banks are federal property under Parks Canada's jurisdiction.
"Thanks to this historic agreement with Parks Canada, the entire borough will be accessible via the Lachine Canal Park multifunctional path," said borough spokesperson Marie-Noëlle Hébert. She emphasized that the cleared paths "will benefit pedestrians and cyclists throughout the winter" and is part of a broader strategy to promote active mobility as a way to combat climate change.
Expanding Existing Snow Clearing Efforts
This new pact expands the borough's existing winter maintenance program. For the last few winters, Sud-Ouest has already been paying to clear a 2.35-kilometre section on the north side of the canal, between Atwater Market and de la Commune Street, which borders the densely populated Griffintown neighbourhood.
The new agreement adds a 2.73-kilometre section on the south side, running from just east of the Atwater footbridge to the Côte St-Paul footbridge at de l’Église. The combined total brings five kilometres of pathway into the regular snow-clearing circuit. The borough council approved a contract worth $30,675, plus an additional $20,000 in related costs, for the work this winter.
The agreement with Parks Canada, which grants the borough permission "to access and move about on these grounds," is valid until April 30, 2027, and includes an option for a two-year renewal.
Replacing a Discontinued Program & Addressing User Concerns
The borough's move comes as Parks Canada has decided to discontinue its own pilot project to groom areas west of Atwater Market for activities like fat biking and skiing, citing variable weather conditions that made maintenance difficult. The borough's snow removal plan "will meet the needs of a greater number of users of the canal trail during the winter," Hébert noted.
While many welcome the initiative, it brings familiar issues of shared-path etiquette to the forefront, especially in winter. Some residents, like Griffintown dog-walker Athena Fotiou, expressed concern about increased bicycle traffic, particularly electric bikes that may exceed the 20 km/h speed limit. "Sometimes they’re going so fast and they come so close to us that I can feel the wind from the bike," she said. Others, like lunchtime walkers Alexandre Dubé and David Vachon, who found the paths treacherously icy on a recent Thursday, are eagerly anticipating safer conditions.
The borough's plan specifies that mechanical snow removal will be used on the asphalted paths, while footbridges will be cleared manually. Abrasives and de-icing agents will be applied, but a civil service report suggests they will be used sparingly to minimize ecological impact on the canal—a point of importance for pet owners worried about their animals' paws.
For users like Rhys Halsey-Watkins, the plan simply makes sense: "It’s safer, it’s more enjoyable. It allows us to use our public spaces more." The initiative marks a concrete step toward making Montreal's iconic waterfront corridor a true four-season asset for active transportation.
