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Approximately 60 kilometres of trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are being added, said Robert Beaudry, the executive committee member in charge of the city’s large parks. Jean-Drapeau Park, in particular, is receiving a refrigerated outdoor ice rink and new trails.
“It’s really a good increase in the amount of services we’re offering,” he said.
But the city still finds itself in the grips of the second wave of COVID-19 infections. Though no longer the epicentre of the virus in Canada, the city is still counting an elevated number of cases, with 336 new positive cases confirmed in the metropolis on Thursday.
In the summer, large numbers of people flocked to Mount Royal and the city responded by closing the parking lot. Plante said she doesn’t think that will be as pressing an issue in the winter because people are less likely to linger on the mountain.
“Closing parking, I repeat, is never what we want to do,” she said, but she added that she would prefer it if Montrealers discovered new parks.
“I want people to think to themselves, ‘It’s true, Mount Royal is nice, but I’m going to go elsewhere’.”
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