Vaudroy-Dorion Hospital: More than 2,300 voices speak out against a parking lot of more than 5 hectares

The planned paving over of land larger than five soccer fields into a spacious parking lot with nearly 1,900 spaces around the future Vaudreuil-Dorion Hospital remains on the back burner of local elected officials who are once again calling on Quebec to review its plans.

A petition containing more than 2,300 names of people opposed to the parking project is to be presented on Tuesday in the National Assembly by the independent member for Vaudreuil, Marie-Claude Nicholls.

Last June, she and Vaudroy-Doréon Mayor Guy Bellon held a public outing to denounce the abandonment of a multi-level parking project, underground or surface, in favor of traditional parking lots due to concerns about the economy.

current situation

Since then, nothing has changed. “They will create a heat island of over five hectares next to the hospital. […] “We go back 10 years, 15 years, with the asphalt ‘patch,’” protested Mr. Pilon in an interview with QMI on the eve of the petition.

The mayor is very frustrated that Vaudroy-Dorion is trying to combat the heat islands. Contractors must build underground parking lots, while the city planted 11,000 trees last year, for example.

“We have reached the end of our rope in our actions. […] “We tried to hold meetings with different ministers, regardless of who participated,” the mayor added, expressing his regret that he had only received comments from the CISSS de la Montérégie-Oest.

The judge hopes the petition will convince the government to change its plans, but he hopes not. “It is the government that is leading. He is the one who makes the laws, breaks the laws, and changes the laws. He does what he wants, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. […]. “If he decides things aren’t moving, there’s not much he can do about it.”

The initial estimates for the hospital project were $1.7 billion, then they were re-evaluated at $2.6 billion. In an attempt to cut costs, the government chose to build a large parking lot, a solution that would save between $50 million and $80 million.

Health Minister Christian Dube’s office confirmed last June that plants would be planted in the parking lot to reduce their environmental impact.

Petition link