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New public square adds open space in Old Québec

(Photo: Jean-Philippe Labrie)
Place Des Canotiers - green spaces, benches, an art installation, restrooms and a bike path
Québec City has opened a major new public square, Place Des Canotiers, located between Rue Dalhousie and the St. Lawrence River, in Old Québec.

The square includes green spaces, benches, an art installation, restrooms and a bike path with bike rentals, and is designed to highlight Québec’s maritime history while being both modern and welcoming. The park is the first in continuing renovations and expansions to the Port of Québec sector.

Designed to restore distinction to an area previously used as an open-air parking lot, the Place des Canotiers is now the largest public space in Old Québec with nearly 20,000 square metres accessible to residents and visitors. The Place also offers a 389-space, multi-story indoor parking garage on the north side of the site. Atop the garage is an observation deck with sweeping views of the city skyline, cruise ships and the historic Hotel Chateau Frontenac.

'The City of Québec is proud to inaugurate the very beautiful Place des Canotiers, one of our city’s primary gathering places, peaceful respites and spots to relax,' said Québec City Mayor Régis Labeaume, who inaugurated the park. 'This is one of those essential projects for our city’s quality of life, restoring user-friendly access to the river for Québec residents, while offering our maritime guests an exceptional port of entry.'

The name of the public square was chosen by residents through a competition, Une place à nommer. 'Place des Canotiers' harkens back to a key feature of Québec’s culture—river crossings into Québec by canoe. The park’s public art installation, Elle est retrouvée. 'Quoi?–L’Éternité. C’est la mer allée Avec le soleil,' by artist Marc-Antoine Côté, was the winning selection of a competition resulting from the government of Québec’s policy to integrate art and architecture into public spaces.

The total cost for this project was C$39m. The government of Québec invested $26.86m and the city of Québec provided $8m. The government of Canada contributed $4.14m under the Major Infrastructure Component of the Building Canada Fund which supports cultural infrastructure.

The city plans to expand the waterfront promenade for about 15 miles, starting from the Québec Bridge, while the Port of Québec looks to expand its facilities to accommodate larger ships. The port’s Wharf 30 currently has an investment of $30m to begin phases of development and expansion as a mobile terminal. The plan, which is estimated to cost about C$90m, would increase capacity for the Port of Québec to 400,000 passengers by 2025.

In addition, a new dock across the river in Lévis was announced last month.