Skate and Don’t Destroy: DIY skatepark fights demolition threat

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The community surrounding one of Canada’s largest DIY-built skateparks, called Projet 45, learned three weeks ago about Montreal’s plans to demolish and rebuild the space from scratch, according to Sébastien Petit, one of the original builders.

In an outcry to protect the skatepark, the organizers behind Projet 45 held a skating contest Saturday to raise awareness of the demolition threat and “show the community is alive,” Petit said. 

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The name of Saturday’s event, Skate and Don’t Destroy, is a nod to the popular skateboard video game Thrasher: Skate and Destroy. “Today, we don’t want to destroy. We want to work with the city to find solutions,” said Marie-Pier Hamelin, one of the event organizers.

Hamelin launched an online petition on Oct. 5 to protect the park, which has garnered more than 6,200 signatures.

The petition writes: “We are not against the city of Montreal’s investment to redevelop the space, but we are firmly opposed to the destruction of the existing structures. We wish to collaborate with the city of Montreal and the Montreal Skateboard Association to find solutions that preserve this historic site while meeting the city’s objectives.”

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Started in 2010, Projet 45 was built collaboratively by local skateboarders in Frédéric-Back Park next to the TAZ, Canada’s largest indoor skating centre.

And ever since, it has been a hub for the Montreal skateboard community according to Petit, hosting events such as skateboard demonstrations with professional skaters from the U.S. and collaborations with the Empire Montréal skate shop.

“I moved in from the South Shore (to Villeray) just to be close to Projet 45, to be able to come over here and work all the time,” said Petit, who now lives in the Laurentians and drove down for the event. “I was in Montreal for like eight years and it was basically my backyard.”

For skateboarders like Petit, maintaining the original structures is important. “We built what we wanted to skate. We built something different. It’s not like a cookie cutter … skatepark that’s always replicated everywhere,” he said.

By organically constructing the park over time, according to Petit, “you see how people are interacting with it and they say: ‘Oh, we could add something there.’ “

DIY doesn’t equal unsafe, he added, noting many of the community builders involved work in construction and are experienced concrete pourers. “One of the the builders here, he has his own company. He’s building skateparks for cities. … He even supervised the construction of the big Vans bowl at the Olympic Stadium,” he said.

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The widespread public attention appears to have moved the needle: only weeks ago, the Projet 45 community believed Montreal’s demolitions plans were a fait accompli, but the city seems to have softened its stance.

“I do not want to push for demolition. We are there, we really have a vision of openness, of accommodation, to respond to (the skating community’s) needs,” said Caroline Bourgeois, Montreal’s Executive Committee vice-president responsible for sports and activities, in an interview with The Gazette.

“The do it yourself principle is quite unique,” Bourgeois said. “I think we’re capable of finding common ground and that’s why we’re working with the Montreal Skateboard Association, which is well known and respected in the skateboarding community, to really consult the public.

“I really have this idea to work with the groups and with the city, and see what we can do.”

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Bourgeois hopes to speak with the petition writers in the coming weeks, and said any construction work is set to begin in 2026. She noted there are cracks in the concrete the city wants to repair, and they want to do the work with the skaters.

More than 200 skaters and supporters showed up to Skate and Don’t Destroy on Saturday, featuring live bands and a skating contest with cash prizes.

One skater, Irina Lofdahl, won $50 for their tricks, including an upside-down flip that left the crowd cheering. They came all the way from Verdun for the event.

“I feel like it’s a beautiful community effort,” Lofdahl said. “We have so many new parks in Montreal already, I don’t feel like tearing this one down is a necessary step to make skateboarding more accessible.”

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