Frédéric-Back Park was once a garbage dump; A quarry and landfill almost the size of Monaco, infested with rats, roaring with garbage trucks, belching powerful gas, and polluted with 40 million tons of garbage. It was so disgusting that in the 1970s, surrounding residents of Saint-Michel, Montreal’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhood, took to the streets in protest.
But when we look at the park today, everywhere is green and calm; Hercules’ renovation project is almost complete. Butterflies dine on milkweed and echinacea meadows, sunflowers nod in the midsummer heat, new trees stand out, cyclists pedal along smooth gravel roads. And, err, a fleet of alien spaceships dots the lawn…
Olivier Lapierre, who shows me around, notices my confusion. “White orbs? “These are wells used to obtain biogas.”
All that garbage currently rotting beneath the park is still releasing methane, the root cause of climate change. These wells pump it to the power plant, where it is used to generate electricity. “They are phosphorescent and glow in the dusk,” smiles Olivier. “They have a bit of a science fiction feel. “Functional and fun.” It’s very similar to Montreal itself.
Montréal is the most sustainable city in North America, according to the Global Destination Sustainability Index. But while the Québec metropolis has a strong eco bent, it’s rarely without a fun side. And Frédéric-Back literally has a playful side.
The new park is located next to the city’s Cirque Arts Quarter: the legendary Cirque du Soleil moved its headquarters to Saint-Michel in 1988 and later founded the National Circus School and the Tohu circus and troupe complex there. This is all part of revitalizing the area and making culture and entertainment more affordable to people; Tohu offers free bike and snowshoe rentals to explore the park, as well as the ability to organize lower-cost activities. Guide Stephanie (also a juggler and unicyclist, of course) shows me around Tohu’s large, circular, sustainably designed auditorium. “The huge doors in the back are tall enough for a giraffe to pass through and wide enough for an elephant,” he tells me. “However, we have never tried it.”
Montréal is a city of festivals: jazz, comedy, snow, beer; Inevitably something will happen every time you visit. For me, it was Tohu’s Complementary Circus Festival (held in July), which Olivier helped run. And its boldest piece is Giant: a free, twice-nightly show that sees a daredevil group somersault, leap and swing from a 15-foot-tall metal man. I join the crowd gathered under the skyscrapers on Place Ville-Marie. As the sun sets, the music starts, the lights turn and the show begins. Disgusting! So far so fun.
I don’t have far to go home afterwards. I was staying at the nearby Humanti, a stylish hotel-apartment complex that calls itself a “vertical village” designed to connect the city, visitors, and the local community. This is a past Best Futura Project finalist; is an award that recognizes buildings whose distinctive architecture and environmental merits give a glimpse of what the future may bring, and there’s a lot of smart thinking here. I particularly liked the abundance of both natural light and Canadian art, and, as a nice touch, the gym’s water-resistant wooden eco-machines rather than electricity.
Olivier tells me that Montréal is a city that “rewards travelers”; It is a place where you can enjoy making your own discoveries and wandering around the neighborhoods instead of watching the views. Perhaps it’s not all that surprising that a city whose official language is French would reward the flâneur’s lifestyle. I do like that too.
The next day, I follow my nose to leafy Mount Royal, the city’s big, green lung, and to wealthy Outremont, with its hip cafes and Art Deco theatre. Through spiral staircase duplex streets (a Montréal architectural classic) I enter Little Italy and the bountiful Jean-Talon market filled with fresh and local produce.
I browse eco-friendly fashion at vintage stores in Mile End; Some, like Annex, outshine most designer boutiques. And I find myself at the counter of Wilensky’s Light Lunch, which hasn’t changed much since its opening in 1932. For $5.01, I order the Special, which is an all-beef and salami sandwich, plus a cherry Coke from the store. soda fountain. The man next to me also orders a Special, swallows it immediately, then orders another.
After all this, I need to rest, so I take a bus to the Old Port to experience the sustainability of the city at its most relaxing. In the 1950s Arthur Cardin was a ferryman; Now, through a minor recycling process, it has been transformed into Bota Bota, a floating spa powered by energy from the St Lawrence River. Even eco-warriors can relax here.
The design is super chic, with a sea-meets-Scandi vibe flowing through the hot pools, cold pools, steam rooms, saunas and relaxation garden. I wander around, cooling and toasting in various ways, enjoying spectacular views of the river and skyline, and climbing up to the massive industrial silos built when Montréal was the world’s largest grain port. However, for all the fancy spaces of the spa, I love the simple deck with no one else around; Here I am, descending the latticed steps to dunk on the St. Lawrence, watched only by the ducks.
In fact, it’s possible that passengers on the Petit Navire could see me, too. A little later, when I go on a trip on this pleasure boat, we move towards Bota Bota without disturbing the spa bathers inside. Petit Navire’s fleet is entirely electric; super quiet, zero pollution and certified carbon neutral.
“It’s the equivalent of turning on two hair dryers,” says Captain François, as we round the old harbor and head towards the Sainte-Marie current, along the St Helen Island area. This fast-moving undertow has historically been an awkward obstacle for ships trying to dock here. Today is just fun for us. The gushing water takes the boat away and we are quickly dragged towards the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Hair dryer batteries have to work a lot harder to get us back again.
I have some time to kill before the grand finale of my trip, so I head to nearby Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal’s archaeological museum, located where the city was first founded in 1642. And it was excellent, especially the underground exhibitions where Montréal was brilliantly revealed. Through artifacts and excavations, I explore the layers of the city, from traces of indigenous settlement to original wooden fences, the first cemetery, ammunition depot, 18th-century cobblestone streets and the ruins of the Wurtele Inn.
But to finish, I walk from the basement to the big hill. Every year, Cirque du Soleil sets up a large tent next to the old port; nowadays blue and white are used; the pale canvas reflects heat and greatly reduces the energy required for air conditioning. I’m going to see the band’s latest show Echo, themed around balance in nature and the importance of connection in creating a livable world. The way Echo conveyed his ecological message was human skill and dexterity of the highest order. Artists are doing impossible things around a giant Rubik-like cube that itself bends and changes shape. I’m sure there isn’t a single soul in the audience who doesn’t have their hands over their mouths, their hearts in their throats, their breaths, their screams and their screams on their lips.
After being cheated on for two hours, I emerged with a stupid grin on my face. On this evidence, Montréal seems like exactly the kind of world in which I would happily live.
Fundamentals
Air Canada (00 800 669 92222; aircanada.com) flies London to Montréal round-trip for around £350. Hotel Humaniti (001 514 657 2595; humanitihotel.com) has double rooms from just C$220pn (£130). A three-hour session at Bota Bota costs C$70 (£41) per person (botabota.ca). Cruises with Petit Navire cost from C$25 (£15) per person (lepetitnavire.ca). See tohu.ca and cirquedusoleil.com for show listings. See mtl.org/en for more information.