Plan to build community centre on Villeray arena parking lot sparks controversy

Plans for a new community centre in Montreal's Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough raise concerns about parking accessibility for arena users.

A project to build a community centre in Montreal’s Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough is stirring concerns.

Some groups who use the Howie Morenz Arena found out about ​plans to build a community centre on the arena parking lot. While some welcome the project, others fear it will create problems, including making the arena less accessible.

For para-hockey player Saoud Messaoudi, the arena has been a game-changer.

“Everything here is designed for sled hockey players,” he said. “The reserved spaces right outside make our lives so much easier.”

A ramp outside leads directly to the indoor ice rink, and accessible parking is just steps away. But those 33 parking spaces could soon disappear.

Sylvain O’Reilly, president of the Villeray Minor Hockey Association, says arena users were blindsided by the project.

“An arena like this needs at least 60 parking spots to properly serve players and families. We’re already at only half,” said O’Reilly. “The city knows we would have concerns over this choice, but we were never consulted — nobody called us.”

According to borough officials, the Parc-Extension Neighbourhood Council (Table de Quartier de Parc-Extension) is responsible for conducting community consultations. The group said it has plans to do so Friday, however, it has declined to comment on the project.

In a statement to CTV News, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough mayor Laurence Lavigne Lalonde defended the project, arguing it is necessary to support community organizations that will soon be displaced from the Centre scolaire William-Hingston.

“Our goal is to maximize the use of municipal land for community needs in a dense area like Parc-Extension,” she said. Lalonde also noted that the arena drop-off zone would remain intact, and that the borough is considering changes to street parking regulations as a potential solution.

But O’Reilly argues that parking is already a major issue for local residents, with arena users frequently blamed for taking up street spaces. “Adding a community center here will just make things worse,” he said.

The Villeray Minor Hockey Association prides itself on making the sport accessible, offering free tryouts and lending equipment to newcomers. O’Reilly worries that without sufficient parking, registration numbers could decline and that could put the organization’s biggest fundraiser at risk.

“If we lose these spots, our annual tournament could be in jeopardy,” he said. “That’s a crucial source of income for us.”

And losing parking would make access to the arena significantly harder for para-athletes, pointed out director of ParaHockey Montreal, Maxime Gagnon.

“When parking is full, guys in wheelchairs sometimes have to wheel all the way from Walmart to get here,” he said. “It’s a big problem.”

In response to the plans, arena users have launched a petition and are calling on city officials to reconsider.

Messaoudi says this is about more than just parking — it’s about maintaining accessibility for all.

“When you use a wheelchair, you quickly notice places that aren’t accessible,” he said. “Decisions like this are discouraging. They take us in the wrong direction.”

As of now, there is no timeline for when construction on the community center could begin.