August 18, 2004
William R. Fatt
Chief Executive Officer
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Inc
Canadian Pacific Tower
100 Wellington Street West
Suite 1600
TD Centre, P.O. Box 40
Toronto, Ontario
M5K 1B7
Terrence P. Badour
Executive Vice President, Law & Administration and Corporate Secretary
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc.
100 Wellington Street West, Suite 1600
TD Centre, P.O. Box 40
Toronto, Ontario
M5K 1B7
Dear Sirs,
An excerpt from Fairmont’s “Green the Greens” initiative illustrates Fairmont’s
commitment to protecting the environment and using best environmental practices at its
golf courses:
Our expectation from the Audubon program is to promote ecologically
sound land management and the “conservation of natural resources. This
program provides information and advice for conducting proactive
environmental projects on golf courses.”…”Greening Our Greens” is just
one way that Fairmont Hotels & Resorts strives to conserve natural
resources for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Les Amis de Meadowbrook, a member group of the Green Coalition, was formed in1989
to preserve and enhance Meadowbrook Golf Course, which is owned by Fairmont Hotels
& Resorts. It is situated in the west end of Montreal, nine holes in Lachine, and nine
holes in Cote St Luc. This land possesses valuable visual and physical features in terms
of its flora, fauna and topography. It is the home of many different bird species, 2000
trees, and a wide assortment of other wildlife. Located only 15 minutes from downtown
Montreal, the site has a great potential for recreational tourism and is accessible from the
core of the city by train and bus.
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This oasis of green space, located in an area of asphalt and city sprawl, has been called
the “lungs of the west end of Montreal”. It should remain green for future generations to
enjoy, and for the health of all Montrealers.
Meadowbrook’s value to the larger community has just been recognized by the Office de
consultation publique de Montréal (OPCM) which recommended that Meadowbrook, and
the Little Saint Pierre River which runs through it, be added to Montreal’s list of
protected green spaces or “ecoterritories”. The Commission goes on to suggest “the
necessity of imposing a moratorium on all development projects in the ecoterritories’
natural spaces and buffer zones.” Copies of the briefs submitted to the OPCM by our
members, as well as the OPCM’S press release are attached.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, (observer status at the UN
General Assembly), recommends that cities retain 8% of their land as green space.
Montreal currently has 3.2%, down from 11.4% in 1978. Toronto has three times more
than Montreal, and Vancouver seven times more. Montreal Island needs green space and
Meadowbrook is an ideal ecoterritory.
Moreover, in addition to its ecological value, Meadowbrook acts as a buffer between
heavy industry and adjacent residential neighbourhoods. Its proximity to an industrial
park, and railway tracks on three sides, has been recognized as a safety risk. The
Montreal Urban Community (MUC) has stated this over the years in reports and
resolutions dating back to 1990.
You have expressed your commitment to the environment by your participation in the
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System. We would like to ask for your help to save
Meadowbrook as a green space. This would be a further demonstration of Fairmont
Hotels & Resorts’ commitment to good environmental practices as well as your sense of
social responsibility to the community. Montrealers would be extremely grateful to
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts if you could help preserve a prime recreational area only a
short distance from downtown Montreal.
Les Amis de Meadowbrook would be happy to meet with you or your representatives, at
your convenience, to begin a fruitful dialogue to discuss these issues. Thank you for your
consideration,
Yours sincerely,
Jo Ann Goldwater
Porte-parole Les Amis de Meadowbrook
(Signing for)
Jack Cabot
Avrom Shtern
Kay Wolofsky
Les Amis de Meadowbrook
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Luc Bergeron
ZIP Montréal
Dida Berku
Borough Councillor Côte-St-Luc-Hampstead-Montreal West
Former Associate Councillor to the Mayor on the Environment
Member of Les Amis de Meadowbrook since 1990
Dinu Bumbaru
Heritage Montreal
David Fletcher
Sylvia Oljemark
Porte-parole Green Coalition
Phyllis Lambert
Founder/Director of Canadian
Centre for Architecture
Robert Perreault
Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal
Dr. John Simms
Former Mayor of the Town of Montreal West
CC
Gérald Tremblay
Maire de Montréal
The Hon. Irwin Cotler
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of
Canada
Membres du Comité exécutif de Montréal The Hon. Stéphane Dion
Federal Minister of the Environment
Lawrence S. Bergman
MNA for D’Arcy McGee
Jean-Marc Fournier
Ministre des Affaires municipales du Sport
et du Loisir
Bernard Blanchet
Borough councilor Lachine
Marlene Jennings
MP – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Lachine
Jean Charest
Premier of Quebec
Clifford Lincoln
Former MP Lac St. Louis
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Russell Copeman
MNA – Notre Dame de Grace
Thomas J. Mulcair
Minister of the Environment
François Ouimet
MNA Marquette-Lachine
Irene Page
Fairmont Resorts & Hotels
Right Honourable Paul Martin
MNA for LaSalle
Prime Minister of Canada
Jane Cowell-Poitras,
City councilor Lachine