Rosemère Ahead of the Municipal Elections
This fall promises to be lively in Rosemère, with municipal elections just around the corner! Three political parties have already announced their intention to run for mayor. The protection of the former golf course site will be at the heart of the electoral debate, given its importance for residents and for future generations.
Protecting the former golf course site is more realistic than ever. Find out why in the sections below!
In summary
Laval and Terrebonne have acquired their former golf courses and turned them into parks. Rosemère can do the same 🌳
Subsidies exist, and the market value of such lands is affordable 💡
The former Rosemère golf course is home to more than 940 species, including the monarch butterfly, as well as critical wetlands 🦋
Real estate development there would be unprofitable. A better path is revitalizing already urbanized areas while protecting Rosemère’s last large green space 🌱
What do Laval and Terrebonne have in common?
They both succeeded in protecting their former golf courses and transforming them into public parks for their citizens.
The case of Laval
Recently, Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer announced the City’s intention to acquire the Sainte-Rose golf course and convert it into a major urban park.
The transaction amounts to about $12M for a 45-hectare site. Potential contamination could lower its value.
The acquisition will be supported by the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) with $4.5M in funding.
Laval is saying “yes” to green space protection despite housing needs and interest from developers.
The City prioritizes redeveloping shopping centers—already urbanized areas—over destroying natural land.
Current zoning will be maintained, which excludes real estate development.
📺 Report and interview with Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer (TVA Nouvelles)
The case of Terrebonne’s former “Le Boisé” golf course
On September 5, 2025, the City of Terrebonne officially became the owner of the former Le Boisé golf course.
The City paid $27M for 71 hectares.
About $12M in funding was secured, shared between the Quebec government and the CMM.
This purchase ends $98M in lawsuits filed by developers.
The site has been rewilding naturally for about a decade.
📰 Le Devoir - Terrebonne achètera l’ancien golf Le Boisé pour 27M$ afin d’en faire un parc-naturer
📰 Radio-Canada – Terrebonne achète l’ancien golf Le Boisé pour 27 M$
What these acquisitions show us
The market value of former golf courses is reasonable: around $3/sq. ft., sometimes less if contaminated, as is the case in Rosemère.
Subsidies exist to offset acquisition costs.
Protection is possible even in a housing demand context.
Priority should go to redeveloping already urbanized areas.
Cities can acquire and protect such sites even in the face of ongoing lawsuits.
👉 For the well-being of residents and future generations, political parties running for office should take inspiration from Laval and Terrebonne to acquire Rosemère’s former golf course.
And if the owners don’t want to sell?
Municipalities have regulatory tools —including expropriation—that allow them to acquire land. The Quebec government has recently strengthened these tools by adding Article 245 to the Act Respecting Land Use Planning and Development. This provision allows municipalities to adopt environmental protection measures without compensating landowners and without the risk of being sued for disguised expropriation.
It specifies that municipalities can be exempted from paying compensation if the land is deemed of “significant ecological value.” On Rosemère’s former golf site, iNaturalist has identified more than 940 species so far including the monarch butterfly, a threatened species. In addition, Quebec’s Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP) data from 2021 indicates that 10 vulnerable wildlife species may be present. The site also includes wetlands that play a crucial role in flood prevention.
Standing firm against lawsuits
The former Rosemère golf course is zoned 88.5% “public” and 11.5% “residential and commercial” (along Curé-Labelle Blvd.). Developers have never had the right to build on most of the site.
In 2022, the CMM adopted an Interim Control Bylaw (RCI) freezing development on several golf courses, including Rosemère’s. This temporary measure should be replaced by the revised Metropolitan Land Use and Development Plan (PMAD), expected by late 2025 or early 2026. However, in January 2024 the CMM eased this bylaw, allowing up to 30% of the site to potentially (not necessarily) be developed, in order to reduce pressure from disguised expropriation lawsuits.
📰 Le Devoir - La CMM assouplit son règlement sur la protection des golfs
The owners claim the RCI amounts to disguised expropriation and have filed lawsuits worth $278M, even though they bought the land for $18M in 2018.
As lawyer Marc Bishai from the Quebec Environmental Law Centre points out, such lawsuits raise the question of abusive lawsuits (or “SLAPPs”), designed not to uphold rights but to intimidate or financially exhaust opponents.
👉 Rosemère must not bend under judicial pressure.
Real estate development: an unprofitable project
Would developing the former golf course be profitable for the City? The answer is clear: no. Political parties wishing to put forward such a project in the upcoming elections must first prove it would be viable for Rosemère. Yet, a financial analysis conducted with the support of Peter Trent, former mayor of Westmount, concludes that this development would simply not be profitable for the City.
Redeveloping Place Rosemère: a more promising option
A significant share of the City’s revenues comes from commercial taxes, especially from Place Rosemère. It would be far more advantageous to revitalize this struggling commercial sector and adapt it to today’s climate realities, while respecting the City’s infrastructure capacity. This approach also helps preserve the small-town character cherished by Rosemère residents.
Why protecting the golf course must be an electoral priority
Protecting the former golf course site is financially realistic, environmentally responsible, and beneficial for the physical and mental health of the entire population.
📘 Rosemère: A Future in Transition – What Lies Ahead for the Last Large Green Space?
