Cities set to snap up part of Angell Woods

BY ANDY BLATCHFORD

andy.blatchford@transcontinental.ca

Beaconsfield and the City of Montreal have agreed to pool their money to buy 2.3 million square feet (22 hectares) of Angell Woods.

The $4 million purchase, announced Wednesday, aims to protect part of the century-old forest in northern Beaconsfield, Mayor Bob Benedetti said.

“It’s a big hunk of land,” said Benedetti. “The deal is done to guarantee the conservation (of the woods).”

He said the targeted parcel lies in the “heart of the woods” and will be rezoned as parkland from its current zoning of residential.

Benedetti said Beaconsfield will contribute $600,000 from a $1 million surplus fund —established before the 2002 forced municipal mergers — that is dedicated to buying property in Angell Woods.

The remaining $400,000 will be used to acquire another section of the woods in the future, he said.

The property extends from Highway 40 to Elm Avenue, and lies west of Lakeview Boulevard.

The mayor said Ducks Unlimited Canada bought the land from developer Alta Industriel Limitée, and gave the company a conservation tax receipt.

Beaconsfield and Montreal are expected to pitch in to buy the property from Ducks Unlimited under conservation servitude.

“We’re all serious about this and this is the first huge step,” Benedetti said about the partnership to protect the forest. “It’s been 35 years people have been talking about preserving these woods and we’re doing it now. I’m really proud of it.”

The mayor said once the deal is made, Montreal will own the northern section of the parcel, Beaconsfield will own a portion at the south end and Ducks Unlimited will retain a section that surrounds the Rivière à l’Orme, which runs through the woods.

“Our intention is to someday build a magnificent nature park there (in Angell Woods),” Benedetti said, adding the future park will be managed by Montreal.

Beaconsfield is expected to approve its end of the transaction this morning.

The president of a 600-member organization dedicated to protecting the forest said the agreement is “great news,” but there’s still work to be done.

“This (property) is only a piece, and there’s still a bunch of lots which are under pressure which we’re fighting to save,” said Stephen Lloyd of the Association for the Protection of Angell Woods (APAW). “This is very good news, but it’s not the whole piece.”

He said the eight-year-old association’s long-term vision for the forest is to turn it into an eco-park.

“People should have access but certain restrictions have to be put on that access in order to allow the beauty to remain,” said Lloyd, who described the Angell Woods’ hardwood forests and wetlands as “an ecological treasure.”

“People have to use the woods but take care of them at the same time.”

Various land developers own much of the forest, however, 1.1 million square feet (10 hectares) along Highway 40 is owned by Quebec, Lloyd said.

He said the property has been set aside for a future overpass that will eventually link the proposed 440 Boulevard in western Pierrefonds to Highway 40.

Benedetti said Beaconsfield is in negotiations with Quebec to buy the property.

Angell Woods is home to endangered wildlife, including the brown snake, considered “very rare” in Quebec, says the APAW website.

The 100-hectare woodland is considered part of the Rivère à l’Orme ecoterritory by Montreal and has been designated as an exceptional forest ecosystem by Quebec’s Ministry of Natural Resources.쇓