Former Rosemère golf course

Rosemère: a future in transition

What lies ahead for the last large green space?

The site of the former golf course is Rosemère's last large green space, with 6.5 million square feet (60 hectares). It is rich in biodiversity with century-old trees in the heart of the town. At 60 hectares, it's 6.5 times the size of Parc Charbonneau.

88.5% of the site is zoned “public”, which means it cannot be built on. The remaining 11.5% runs along boulevard Curé-Labelle and is suitable for residential and commercial development. Thus, the vast majority of the site is protected from residential development  under current zoning. Private interests acquired 100% of the land for $18 million in 2018, and the zoning remains unchanged. 


Since the dissolution of Rosemère’s governing municipal party, the elected representatives sit independently. There is uncertainty as to what extent the city council will protect the land. They could therefore opt to protect the site of the former golf course, as other elected officials in Terrebonne, Mascouche and Candiac have done, and as provided for in the Plan métropolitain d'aménagement et de développement.

Demographic change

In the context of our growing population, protecting the site of the old golf course is more than ever a necessity for the physical, mental and social health of the community.  In addition, large parks reduce crime by lowering stress levels and promoting positive social interaction (Institut national de santé publique du Québec, p.26). 

The residential development planned for the Place Rosemère regional hub will create an increase need for green spaces  accessible to residents. 

Indeed, major residential and commercial development projects are currently being planned within the Place Rosemère regional hub and at the intersection of Boulevard Labelle and Chemin de la Grande-Côte. High-density residential development is envisaged, which will result in a significant increase in Rosemère's population. As a result, there will be greater need for green spaces and community services (schools, recreation, transportation, etc.). 

It has become essential to preserve at least 88.5% of the former golf course to offer the community a natural environment easily accessible by active transport, in the heart of our city. A large green space to recharge one's batteries, to engage in physical activity, to encourage social interaction between citizens, and to offer community activities that break down isolation and benefit the mental health of all.

New challenges and government obligations 

Rosemère has a duty to protect

Protecting the site of the former golf course is an important step towards meeting new land protection objectives. Indeed, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) and the Quebec government have set themselves the goal of protecting 30% of the territory by 2030, in response to the recommendations of international experts. Unfortunately, the percentage of protected areas on the CMM territory has stagnated at around 10% since 2012. It currently stands at 10.1%, the majority of which is in aquatic environments. In 2022, the site of the former golf course was identified by the Greater Montreal Planning Authority to be part of a new network of ecologically restored metropolitan parks.

The Town of Rosemère must comply with and participate in land protection efforts. To date, the surface area of parks and green spaces on our territory is 11.5%, according to the statistics given on the town's website, which is far from the targeted 30%.

Ecological transformation

Several species with precarious conservation status are found in the area of the former golf course.

Rosemère’s former golf course is located in the bioclimatic domain of the bitternut hickory maple stand, which is by far the most degraded in all of Quebec, and contains the highest number of threatened species according to the Quebec Biodiversity Atlas. In fact, of the species identified around the former golf course to date, 37 have a conservation status of near-threatened, vulnerable or endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), NatureServe or Canada's Species at Risk Act.

Did you know that over 800 species have been observed on identification platforms in the area of the former golf course?

Example of an endangered species: the monarch butterfly

The Monarch butterfly is an example of an endangered species found in the area of the former golf course, as there is an abundance of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), as well as other native perennials that provide it with food during its adult life phase.

As of December 8, 2023, this species is considered endangered in Canada (Canadian Wildlife Federation and Canada Gazette).

More than ever, protecting the former golf course site is a necessity for adapting to climate change. 

The 60-hectare site of the former golf course in the heart of the town of Rosemère provides the community with valuable ecosystem services, i.e. those that are fundamental and essential to human life. For example, in the context of rising temperatures and more frequent heavy rainfall , the former golf course increases rainwater retention, moderates the heat island effect of the Place Rosemère area, and its plant cover captures carbon and filters the air.  

Satellite maps demonstrate the cool island effect of the former golf course. The cooling effect created by the evapotranspiration of the vegetation has an impact on the surrounding residential areas. The destruction and mineralization of the site would inevitably lead to an increase in temperature that would be felt by hundreds of Rosemère homes. This effect would be particularly significant in summer, and would become increasingly pronounced with the expected rise in temperatures linked to climate change. 

These ecosystem services are all too often underestimated. According to “research” by Jérôme Dupras, holder of the Research Chair in Ecological Economics at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, each hectare of urban and peri-urban forest provides services worth the equivalent of $25,000 per year to the municipality in whose territory it is located. According to this estimate, the site of the former Rosemère golf course, once ecologically restored, could provide ecosystem services worth $1,500,000 per year.

In its Urbanism Plan - by-law number 1000 (p.42), the Town of Rosemère recognizes that the former golf course area is one of the municipality's cool islands. It also states that the area developed to the west of Route 117 is a major and problematic heat island.

Contrary to what is sometimes said about the ecological value of current and former golf courses, scientific literature shows that in an urban environment, they are veritable oases of biodiversity. The Rosemère golf course, for example, is an important refuge for several hundred species and forms a strategic ecological link between the Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, the Rivière aux Chiens and the Forêt du Grand Coteau. 

Since its closure in 2018, nature is reclaiming the Rosemère’s former golf course. Specialized biodiversity census platforms such as Mission monarch, iNaturalist Canada, eButterfly and eBird Québec indicate that over 800 species, including plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods and numerous pollinators have been counted around the site to date. This data highlights the rich renaturalization process that has been taking place since golf playing was discontinued. 

So, despite the fact that La Presse revealed mercury and arsenic contamination in the soil that was not in keeping with ''planned residential and commercial uses'', biodiversity is regaining possession of the area, and keeping this green space as a park is therefore the most ecological and safest option for the population.

Protecting and ecologically restoring the Rosemère’s former golf course would help meet the government's 30% protection target, while securing the habitat of hundreds of species of birds, amphibians, mammals and pollinators. 

Legislative changes

Acquiring the site and protecting it is realistic

The Quebec government recently introduced long-awaited legislative reform designed to provide a better framework for the protection of green spaces. These changes have been made to facilitate the conservation and ecological restoration of land by municipalities like Rosemère. To find out more about these legislative changes, you can consult the analyses of the Centre québécois du droit de l'environnement (CQDE).

Among the legislative changes, we note that recent changes have been made to the Act respecting expropriation. In the event of expropriation, compensation is no longer calculated on the basis of value to the owner, but rather on the basis of market value.

In light of these legislative changes, can we afford to acquire and conserve the former golf course site, which would be an important asset for our community and a major investment in our future and our health? 

Here are a few points to consider when assessing the market value of the former Rosemère golf course. 

The municipal value of the former golf course on the Town of Rosemère's 2024-2026 tax roll for the entire property are as follows:

2024 - $14 million

2025 - $14.8 million

2026 - $15.5 million

For your information, here are the market values of golf courses in recent transactions in the Greater Montreal area.

Golf course sale prices for recent transactions in Greater Montreal

City

Year

Area Square feet (sq.ft.)

Sale price

Price

(sq.ft.)

Zoning

Mascouche (Mascouche)

2011

4 344 597

6,300,000$

1.45$

Recreational - Golf 

 -public

Saint-Eustache

(Deux-Montagnes)

2013

6 681 157

13,200,000$

1.95$

Recreational - Golf 

-public

Laval

(Sainte-Rose)

2013

3 423 040

6,000,000$

1.75$

Recreational - Golf 

-public

Laprairie

(Laprairie) 

2014

6 243 004

27,800,000$ 

4.45$

Allow construction

Terrebonne

(Les Moulins)

2015

2 175 584

6,985,000$

3.21$

Recreational - Golf 

-public

Vaudreuil

(Summerlea)

2016

10 000 000

18,000,000$

1.80$

Allow construction

Vaudreuil

(Summerlea)

2018

19 057 510

11,500,000$

0.60$

Recreational - Golf 

 -public

Mirabel

(Mirabel)

2017

8 800 000

40,000,000$

4.55$

Allow construction

Rosemère

(Club de golf de Rosemère)

2018

776,568

12,000,000$ **

15.45$

Part that allow construction (11,5%)

Rosemère

(Club de golf de Rosemère)

2018

5,823,432

6,000,000$ **

1.03$

Recreational - Golf 

-public (88,5%)

Rosemère

(Club de golf de Rosemère)

2018

6 600 000

18,000,000$

2.73$

Global (100%)

Blainville  (Fontainebleau) *

2018

10 200 000

8,000,000$

0.78$

Recreational - Golf 

-public

Blainville (Blainvillier)

2019

5 000 000

20,500,000$

4.10$

Allow construction 

 

 

* purchased by the former shareholders of the Rosemère Golf Club.

** Estimates of value at time of sale based on information gathered. Different parcels of land have different values depending on zoning. The value of the 11.5% of land where construction is permitted on the former Rosemère golf course is worth more than the 88.5% of land where construction is not permitted.

Source: compilation by the Coalition Terrains de golf en transition

Following the reform of the Expropriation Act, the latter now specifies that it is the market value (real value) based on current zoning that is to be used to calculate compensatory indemnity in the event of expropriation. This means that the market value of the entire former golf course  is much lower than the speculative values conveyed in recent years.

Conference

Investing in nature is profitable and naturally responsible!

With Jérôme Dupras

Rerun
Conference presented in French

Jérôme Dupras gave a talk on the need to preserve and restore green spaces in urban environments, such as the site of the former Rosemère golf course, and on the financial value of the ecosystem services provided by this type of space.

Jérôme Dupras (Ph.D) is a full professor in the Department of Natural Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), Canada Research Chair in Ecological Economics and holder of the new UNESCO Chair in Socio-Economic Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystems. He is also President and CEO of Habitat, a firm specializing in the conservation, development and management of biodiversity and ecosystems. Habitat has already been commissioned by the City of Rosemère to draw up a portrait of our urban forest and assess its resilience.

He is also bassist with the group Les Cowboys fringants.

Invited guest : Patricia Clermont (AQME)

Patricia Clermont (Ph.D) of the Association québécoise des médecins pour l'environnement will also take part in the conference to talk about the link between protecting health and protecting green spaces.

November 6, 2024 - 7 p.m.

Académie Ste-Thérèse
Rose-De Angelis Campus
Room Pierre-Legault
1 Chemin des Écoliers, Rosemère (QC) J7A 4Y1
Main entrance

Doors open at 6 p.m. for informal discussions

Non-alcoholic bar service

Protect Rosemère's last large green space

Who we are

Green Rosemère is a non-profit organization (NPO) created by volunteer citizens of Rosemère who have a wide range of expertise and are mobilized around the protection of the former golf course.

Protecting this jewel in our community will require the commitment of all Rosemerites!

Take action!

Participate now in the Communauté Métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) consultation on the land use and development plan (PMAD) and support the proposal to transform the former Rosemère golf course into a park. The new PMAD defines development priorities for all Greater Montreal municipalities.

Additional information

In the media - Protecting the former Rosemère golf course

Species observed in the vicinity of the former golf site

This initiative is made possible through the support of the Foundation of Greater Montréal