Urban agriculture

Urban agriculture offers the following benefits:

• It embellishes the territory: these spaces green the territory and add colours and pleasant smells.
• It protects the environment: all green spaces help reduce heat islands, absorb rainwater, and improve air quality.
• It provides food autonomy: harvested foods put food on the table and are healthy because they are organic.
• It provides socialization opportunities: this activity puts you in touch with other and gives you a chance to exchange ideas, especially in a collective or community garden.
• It raises awareness: it’s time to learn more about this activity that is so essential to our survival and about the different types of food that can be grown in our climate.

Over the past few years, the Ville de Saint-Lambert has launched a number of urban agriculture projects. Here is a glimpse:

• Saint-Lambert residents have access to a community garden at Lespérance Park; it was renovated in 2019 and has over 100 plots.

• An edible space was created in Mercille Park in 2019 with trees and fruit-bearing shrubs accessible to all.

• Since 2018, the city has supported the Réseau écocitoyen in collective gardening projects at Saint-Denis Park and in front of the Serenity Gardens Residence for Seniors.

• Since 2021, a vegetable garden pathway was set up, starting in Mercille Park and running along Green and Elm avenues as far as Saint-Denis Park.

• Edible plant beds have been put in by some individuals and institutions, such as École des Saints-Anges, through community initiatives and with support from the municipality.

• We also have spaces for pollinators set up in Lespérance, Saint-Denis, Seaway and Boisé du Limousin parks. Espace Claude Trudeau, inaugurated in 2021 at the Golf Park, educates visitors about the importance of saving monarch butterflies. Lastly, wide gutters have been left untouched at Seaway Park for this purpose.

In addition to these achievements, every year the ECO Brigade raises public awareness of questions of biodiversity and urban agriculture in Saint-Lambert.

Creating a home garden, growing fine herbs or edible flowers in bins, or installing a green roof are just some of the actions suggested.

We also intend to support the emergence of citizen initiatives, such as community gardens or vertical gardens in private, institutional or commercial spaces, to promote community involvement and social cohesion.

Got an idea for an urban agriculture project? Tell us about it at 450-672-4444 or at environnement@saint-lambert.ca. Our Environment team will be pleased to assist you in your efforts.

The Québec government has some pointers to introduce you to urban agriculture. It tells you how to choose spaces for gardening, what to plant, and how to prepare and take care of your vegetable garden (in French only).

An environmental movement has emerged in response to diminishing bee colonies, with the specific aim of protecting bees. Among other things, urban beekeeping is designed to help preserve bee populations and maintain a balanced ecosystem. With these hives, the city is helping to restore balance in the urban ecosystem and, especially, to protect bee populations, which have been in sharp decline worldwide for more than a decade.

In Saint-Lambert, beehives are only allowed in institutional, public and commercial settings, and under certain conditions. The number of bee colonies has to be controlled to maintain a healthy bee population.

According to European and U.S. health authorities, many factors have contributed to the decrease in bee colonies, including the various pathogens that affect them, aggressive beekeeping methods, and environmental pollution, including pesticides and electromagnetic waves (cell phones, Wi-Fi).

From an environmental perspective, bees are essential to agriculture, as they are the main pollinators of fruit and vegetable crops, such as apples, cucumbers, onions, and melons. And from an economic point of view, these remarkable pollinators contribute to agricultural production and save the agricultural industry billions of dollars every year.

A bee is furry, with black and amber alternating stripes. It is a vegetarian, peaceful insect. In fact, its main occupation consists of flitting from flower to flower, gathering pollen and nectar that will be used, among other things, to produce honey. Unlike wasps or mosquitoes, bees only sting if they think they are in danger, to protect their hive. It is the perfect insect to share our urban environment.

A wasp has no hair or fur on its body, is bright yellow with black lines, and its abdomen is clearly separated from its thorax. A carnivore, the wasp is attracted by organic waste and sweet substances, which is why it is such a pest during outdoor meals in the summer. Wasps are predators of honeybees and tend to be more aggressive than bees, often stinging its victim several times.