Good habits to adopt in large parks

Last updated June 26, 2024
Reading time: 4 min

Do you enjoy Montréal’s large parks? Did you know that certain behaviours can damage these natural habitats teeming with life? Learn more about simple actions you can take and rules to follow in our parks.

Pick up your trash 

If you’re eating or drinking, use reusable containers and take everything you’ve brought along with you to sort out when you get home. You can use the bins and waste garbage cans on site, but if they’re already full, the waste can blow away with the wind and pollute the environment.

Avoid making too much noise

It is forbidden to disturb the peace and quiet of the area with loudspeakers, portable radios, cell phones or musical instruments. 
Generators and voice amplifiers are not permitted unless you have a permit.

Do not make fires

It is forbidden to light a fire in the open air, to light fireworks and to use pyrotechnics.

Use barbecues in the appropriate areas

The barbecue rules vary by park and by fuel type.

  • Propane gas barbecues and butane stoves are permitted only in designated picnic areas. 
  • Be sure to take your empty tanks with you.
  • Parks that allow charcoal barbecues have ash bins in some areas where you can safely dump the hot coals.

Do not hang anything from the trees

Equipment may not be placed in trees or shrubs, to prevent damaging them. This also applies to street furniture.

Share the bike lanes properly

If your means of travel does not require any physical effort, it is not permitted on park bike paths.

  • Bikes, electric-assist bikes, skateboards, scooters, three- and four-wheeled vehicles are permitted to help persons with reduced mobility get around.
  • Electric- and gas-powered motor scooters, effortless electric bikes, two-wheel personal transporters (such as Segway’s), electric (stand-up) scooters, ATVs and snowmobiles are prohibited.
  • No person shall travel at a speed exceeding 20 km/h or in a manner that endangers the safety of other people using the bike lanes.

At the beach

It is prohibited to:

  • Use a radio or sound system
  • Use glass containers
  • Consume alcoholic beverages or food
  • Swim outside the buoys surrounding the swimming area
  • Swim in the absence of a lifeguard
  • Swim without a bathing suit.
  • Bring your dog

Bicycles, scooters and skateboards are not permitted on the beach.

Do not use drones or motorized models

It is prohibited to operate a drone for recreational purposesor a motorized model such as a remote-controlled car.

Do not use alcohol or cannabis

The consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in the parks. It is only permitted in picnic areas during a meal or when a permit has been issued for a special event.

Federal and provincial cannabis laws are in effect in the parks. The use of cannabis in any form is prohibited.

Don't go to the park at night

Parks are poorly lit at night, and the risk of accidents is high. What’s more, nighttime visits can be noisy and disturb the whole neighbourhood.

Stay on the trails

Whether you’re biking or walking, stay on the designated trails so that you don’t step on plants and break the branches of bushes. When you step on plants, they are destroyed and the soil is compacted. 

Obey signage at all times. Trails are designated for hiking and snowshoeing. Others are specifically for cross-country skiing.

Don’t pick flowers or plants

Flowers and plants provide food and shelter for birds and certain pollinating insects, such as butterflies and bees.

By pulling out a flower, you prevent it from reproducing and threaten its survival. For example, the white trillium and the endangered mayapple can take several years to bloom. It takes eight or nine years for wild garlic to reach full maturity.Imagine if hikers uprooted them! 

Why not just take pictures and share them with your friends through your Instagram account?

Leave the dead wood where it lies

It can be tempting to pick up a long branch to use as a walking stick or build a shelter with. In addition to providing a wildlife habitat, branches, wood and leaves play an essential role in forest renewal. As they decompose, they turn into humus and enrich the soil. That’s why our teams don’t pick them up.

Do not throw away your yard waste

Green waste from gardens, vegetable gardens or landscaping must not be deposited in a park, even if compostable.

Yard waste (branches, leaves, soil, plants, etc.) can harm the balance of the ecosystem when it ends up in an unspoilt environment. For example, it can spread diseases that may affect plants in the receiving environment and spread undesirable, non-native, or even invasive plant species by scattering their seeds.

Protect the wildlife

Don’t feed them 

Bread and grain products don’t contain the nutrients and calories necessary for the health of ducks, geese and other bird species. These foods can make them sick and disrupt certain activities, such as their fall migration.

Our food is not suitable for the squirrels, raccoons and other wildlife we encounter in the parks. They find everything they need in nature. In addition, the search for food helps maintain their survival instinct and wild nature.

Keep your distance

Observe animals from a distance so as not to disturb them. Petting and feeding them can change their natural behaviour and put them at risk. 

Some animals can carry infectious diseases that can be transmitted to humans, such as rabies.

Your up-close presence can also be a huge stress to wildlife.

Take precautions when birds of prey are present

  • Stay on the trails
  • Keep your voice low and your conversations to a minimum
  • Do not approach nests, or disturb chicks or their parents
  • Do not play sound recordings or imitate birds’ voices to attract them
  • Carefully assess whether the bird can tolerate the disturbance caused by your presence, especially during the breeding season. If it appears nervous or agitated, leave the area
  • If you take pictures, do not use a flash
  • Use discretion before posting the presence of a bird on social media

Keep your dog on a leash

Dogs are welcome as long as they are on a leash and you keep to the trails, grassy areas and parking lots.

All dogs weighing 20 kg or more must wear a halter or harness with an attached leash, with the exception of a guide or service dog.

Don’t forget to pick up after your pet.

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