Park Ex parent fears loss of local park to daycare development

Some Park Extension residents fear a proposed daycare development will spell the end of one of the few green spaces in the neighbourhood.  

La Maison Montessori de Park Extension, located at the intersection of Jarry Street and de L'Epée Avenue, currently has spots for 78 children, including students with special needs.

The daycare' s co-owner, Biba Neskovic, says they're too cramped in the current building and they now want to build a bigger daycare on the northern end of Sinclair Laird Park, just a few blocks northwest of its current location.

She is now in preliminary talks with the English Montreal School Board, which owns the land.

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"It would be just really sad," said local parent Lesley Selwood. She started a petition to save Sinclair Laird Park.

"If you look around the neighbourhood, it's mostly apartments. It's a really high-concentrated neighbourhood," she said.

"[Children] need an open area where they can just run around...and have fun."

Neskovic said the new building would only extend two houses deep at most and will be two-storeys high to save on ground space.

"We want to preserve all the trees and we want to add greenery," Neskovic said.

Though discussion over the daycare's extension is still in preliminary stages, Selwood said building in the park should be a last resort.

She also said she wanted Park Extension councillor Mary Deros to step in.

"The promoter is in talks with the school board and we will work with both to see what is the best option for the majority of Parc Exers," said Deros.

Deros said she understands Selwood's concerns, but said the fate of the students of the daycare must also be taken into consideration.

"A third of our population are young people. We have a lot of large families. There's a lot of learning disabilities with the children who are in school. A lot of them need after school programs to help them, to tutor them," she said.

"What do you do? Do you lose the 80 spaces? And where do these children go after?"

CBC News contacted the EMSB but they could not be reached for comment.