MILTON-PARC: THE HISTORY, CITIZEN STRUGGLES, AND COMMUNITY LIFE OF A NEIGHBORHOOD

This guided tour of Milton-Parc will explore its history, architecture, citizen campaigns, ecology, and vibrant community life. The neighborhood's heritage-protected late 19th century houses, built with greystone quarried from the island of Montreal, have been the homes for numerous important artists, scientists, and politicians. The 1970s housing rights struggle to defend the neighborhood from the LaCité mega project would form the biggest non-profit housing co-operative project and community land trust in Canada (the Milton-Parc Community). Subsequent community control and ecology movements include traffic calming initiatives, the founding of the Montreal Urban Ecology Center, the removal of the Pine-Parc highway interchange, the saving of the Strathearn Centre for culture, the protection of green spaces (like the Notman Gardens), and the campaign for the future of the enormous Hotel-Dieu Hospital. There are also ongoing collaborations with McGill University and the borough on issues of studentification, noise reduction, and waste management. Last year was the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Milton-Parc Citizens' Committee and the 30th anniversary of the Communauté Milton-Parc. The departure will take place at McGill's Wilson Hall, located at the corner of University and Milton (3506 University), at walking distance of the McGill subway station. This year's tour will be dedicated to the memory of Milton-Parc community activist Lucia Kowaluk who fought for half a century for community power and to empower the underprivileged. We would like to invite the participants to make a voluntary donation, which will be donated to the guides. We would also like to welcome the participants to a tea&snacks which will follow the visit, and take place in a beautiful coop heritage setting.