Parc de la Francophonie

Prep work underway for major redo of Parc de la francophonie

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

Work is underway in the Parc de la Francophonie – popularly known as Le Pigeonnier – in preparation for a long- awaited development of the site adjacent to the National Assembly and across Grande Allée from the historic armoury.

A security fence surrounds the site where, according to the little information available from the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec (CCNQ), which owns and manages the site, a project of at least $20 million will unfold over the next few years.

The preliminary work, consisting of archeological digs and soil sampling, will provide data to help plan the eventual transformation of the park, famous for its pigeon house and small pond. Known as the Parc de Grande Allée when it was created in 1972 with the demolition of houses, it was renamed Parc de la Francophonie in 1995 in honour of the 25th anniversary of the organization now known as the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.

For years it has been the site of secondary stages for the Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ). This time, however, in anticipation of the work being done on the site this year and likely the next two years, FEQ will create stages in Place George-V in front of the armoury. That site, owned by the federal government, underwent a complete overhaul in 2023-24 to make it more suitable for hosting large events.

Once the initial work is done on the park over the next few weeks, it will be restored and available for use, according to a CCNQ spokesperson in a Le Soleil report. The CCNQ did not respond to a QCT enquiry by press time.

The project is included in the Société québécoise des Infrastructures planning “dash- board” in the category of more than $20 million. The description says, “The majority of [the structures on the site] have become obsolete and require significant restructuring.

“The complete redevelop- ment of the park has become necessary to provide users with a quality public space whose future developments will reflect the vital nature of this site in the heart of Parliament Hill.”