Cirque du Soleil at Royalmount Centre?

Cirque du Soleil says it’s interested in having a “creative project on the site of Royalmount,” its spokesperson Marie-Hélène Lagacé confirmed.

So… what is Royalmount?

Royalmount centre is a massive new shopping and entertainment complex proposal slated for the Town of Mount-Royal’s industrial sector, not far from the Da la Savane Metro station. CarbonLeo, the company that built Quartier Dix30, a shopping centre and entertainment complex on Montreal’s South Shore, is undertaking the $1.7-billion project nestled at the junction of Highways 15 and 40, earning it the nickname Quinze40.

The 232,257-square-metre complex will feature a performing arts space with seating for 3,000 people, a water park, an indoor cinema complex and an outdoor cinema on the green roof. The mall will also house restaurants, terraces, two hotels, an outdoor skating rink and office space.?

The project is controversial as opponents suggest the new centre would multiply traffic and pollution in the area, and that it would centralize business, hurting the local economy and mom-and-pop shops, and discouraging people from working and living in the city core. Proponents look at the opportunity to redevlop a section of the city overlooked today.

In either case, the fact that Cirque du Soleil is “interested” in having a creative project of some kind on the site is newsworthy to us. We will, of course, keep our ears open for new developments on this project.

{ SOURCE: CBC News }