Article content

Montreal is a jewel of an island in the middle of a sparkling river, and for years, politicians have been promising to create new beaches so that island residents can reclaim the shorelines and actually swim in its waters.

Here’s an update on those projects.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Montreal will have three new beaches — but not yet Back to video

Verdun beach

Photo by Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette

Like many projects planned for Montreal’s 375th birthday last summer, the Verdun beach is taking longer than anticipated. It won’t open officially until next summer, Verdun borough mayor Jean-François Parenteau told the Montreal Gazette.

The land portion of the project is almost complete, and Parenteau said the fencing will probably come down in a few weeks. Swimming will not be officially sanctioned until lifeguards are on duty next summer, but he won’t be surprised if a few hearty souls jump in before that.

“In Verdun, people have been swimming in the St. Lawrence River for many, many years,” he said, adding people do so at their own risk.