'Ugly' Hydro-Quebec poles to be removed from Montreal's Lachine Canal after residents complain

After residents in Montreal's Saint-Henri neighbourhood complained about new Hydro-Québec poles along the Lachine Canal and Catalognous Park being "ugly," they will be removed.

Last month, residents were shocked when they woke up to Hydro-Québec workers installing new poles without any notice. They found out the developers of a new condo complex, Le Gladin, were paying to have hydro wires buried from their view, and so new poles had to be installed upstream.

"Our main concern was that it was having a very big visual impact on our side, on the historical site of the Canal Lachine, and the municipal park where we have all the residents walking around and enjoying the park," said Saint-Henri resident Lucie Dugal, who pushed to get the poles removed.

"That was unacceptable to us."

Last Thursday, a handful of concerned residents held consultations with Hydro-Québec, Parks Canada, and borough mayor, Benoit Dorais, to find alternative solutions.

Hydro-Québec proposed taking down the new poles and adding infrastructure to existing ones instead.

Though residents are happy Hydro-Québec responded to their complaints and was open to finding solutions, they still have concerns. For example, the wires will be very close to walkways and equipment will be added on top of a pole in front of a residential building.

"The proposal is much better but it's still not perfect," said Dugal. "We don't know if it could be perfect, but we're trying to push it a bit further."

The proposal was approved by the residents, Hydro-Québec and Parks Canada, said Cendrix Bouchard, a spokesperson for Hydro-Québec. He said there isn't a set date for the polls to come down, but it will be done in the next couple of weeks.