The city of Montreal and the borough of Villeray-St-Michel-Parc Ex plan on merging two of its police stations, CJAD 800 has learned; one was closed on short notice back in June because of a reported security issue with the building.
The police force announced in late June that Station 33 on Beaumont in Parc Ex would have to close while they looked for another building. People were told to go to Station 26 on Mountain Sights or Station 31 on St. Laurent Boulevard at Jarry Park.
But now the plan is to merge Stations 33 and 31, which is located at the chalet at Jarry Park.
In a statement to CJAD 800, the city's point person on public security Rosannie Filato said the Station 31 building is very old and falling apart so they need a new building with universal access. They also want to eventually free up the space at the chalet for citizens. Filato said patrols will be stepped up to cover all of the borough.
Some citizens and elected officials were not pleased about the short notice closure of Station 33, including Parc Ex city councillor Mary Deros.
Deros said they've been talking about such a merger for the past 12 years but they could never find a centrally located building to serve both Parc Ex and Villeray.
"Whatever they do, it's going to have to be in Parc Ex," Deros said in an interview with CJAD 800.
At the time, Filato said they didn't hold public consultations about moving Station 33 because of extenuating circumstances, with the lease having expired. She said they will inform the public about the next steps.