Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously approved a one-year modification to the City’s lease to Laboratoire sur l’agriculture urbaine. The City will provide the group, rent-free, two parts of a 3,316-square-metre site in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough for sunflowers and a greenhouse, from November 1, 2026, to October 31, 2027. City staff say the goal is to support temporary use of municipal land and the District Central area.
- The site is south of rue Louvain Ouest and west of boulevard Saint-Laurent. Its current lot number is 6 712 042.
- The tenant must pay operating costs and property taxes, if applicable, and restore the land at the end of the lease.
- The tenant may end the lease by giving 30 days’ written notice. There is no renewal option.
What it means for you#
- Residents: The decision does not create a personal right to use the site or receive produce. City staff say vegetables may be grown and distributed free at the site and through the Ville en vert garden, but the resolution does not require this.
- Laboratoire sur l’agriculture urbaine: It may use the site for the stated purposes during the one-year term without paying rent. It must cover operating costs and any applicable property taxes, and restore the land when the lease ends.
- The City: It continues to make this municipal land available without rent for the lease term.
Money#
The rent is free; city staff value the property subsidy at $247,009 for the one-year lease.
- The tenant pays operating costs and property taxes, if applicable.
- The materials give no estimate of the City’s other costs.
What is unclear#
- The resolution does not set out detailed rules for the greenhouse or planting activities.
- It does not require vegetable production or free distribution; those are possibilities described by city staff.
- The lease itself is not included, so its other terms cannot be checked against the summary.
Case for#
- City staff say the earlier pilot was successful and that continuing it would support temporary use of land awaiting permanent development.
- A free one-year lease allows the project to continue while limiting the commitment to a set term, with no renewal option.
Case against#
- The City is providing rent-free use with an estimated property subsidy of $247,009; the materials do not compare this with other possible uses of the site.
- The lease gives no guaranteed public benefit such as vegetable production or free distribution.