Category Archives: Media

Fearing Demolition, Montreal Skateboarders Rally To Protect DIY Skatepark From City

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“Skateboarders say they built Project 45 themselves more than a decade ago in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension on land belonging to the city of Montreal but with the blessing of Le TAZ, a nearby indoor skatepark.

Skateboarder Marie-Pier Hamelin says skaters have recently learned the city plans to demolish the skatepark and rebuild it, but the city has told a different story.

The City of Montreal has not responded to The Canadian Press’s requests for comment, but told other media outlets this week that the plan is not to demolish Project 45 but redevelop its infrastructure, which it says has reached the end of its life and does not meet municipal safety standards.”

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Three Skate Parks in Laval in 2024

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“Skateboarding, scootering, and other similar action sports enthusiasts will have access to three new major facilities in 2024. The Laval City Council has approved the awarding of three contracts, totaling an investment of $6.7 million, for the development of skate parks.

  • Du Moulin Park (Saint-François)
    • Street and transition enthusiasts will enjoy a flowing circuit, a bowl, jump zones and rails.
  • Notre-Dame Park (Sainte-Rose)
    • Unique, plaza-like design, including an impressive sheltered mini-ramp structure and numerous modules reminiscent of urban landscape elements (ramps, curbs, promontories, stairs, etc.)
  • Du Sablon Park (Chomedey)
    • The pump track option was chosen for this park. It’s a track with rounded bumps and banked turns that can be navigated without pedaling. This last circuit is ideal for BMX and mountain biking, while remaining accessible to skateboards and scooters.”

Click here (French only) to read the rest of the article.

32nd International First Peoples Festival underway in Montreal

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This year, the festival site features a skateboarding ramp where First Nations youth can come and learn how to skateboard.

It’s led by non-profit Nations Skate Youth, which travels across Canada connecting Indigenous youth with skateboarding.

The setup was inspired by Joe Buffalo, one of the non-profit’s co-founders. He is an Indigenous skateboarding legend and a survivor of Canada’s residential school system.

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Montreal Games

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Resilience. Transcendence. Discipline. Socialization. Team spirit. Courage. Humility. Determination. So many words listed by stakeholders, parents and coaches when asked what skateboarding brings to young people.

“I believe that skateboarding has long been seen as something delinquent, explains Jessy Jean Bart. It was not part of the school systems like sport-studies. The fact that it was incorporated into the Olympics [en 2021], it really propelled the sport. »

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Skatepark opens in Inukjuak

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Kids in Inukjuak were quick to make use of their new skatepark Saturday after it officially opened to the community. Joe Buffalo, a professional skateboarder from Samson Cree Nation in Alberta, attended and gave the young people a skate lesson. Caroline Gleason, a teacher in the hamlet of about 1,700 residents, led the charge to get the park built with the help of the northern village, the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, CRT Construction, the non-profit Make Life Skate Life, and several local businesses. (Photo courtesy of Sylvain Paradis). Taken from Nunatsiaq News.

Learning To Skateboard In My 30s Has Been A Revelation

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“I know I’m not the only woman in my 30s to harbour skateboarding fantasies, and I definitely won’t be after this summer. Skateboarding is having a major moment, with all eyes on the sport – in no small part thanks to the super-cool teen skateboarders at the Tokyo Olympics, including Team GB’s own bronze medallist, 13-year-old Sky Brown, whose triumph at the Games feels like it belongs to all of us.

The female skateboarders, in particular, were a joy to watch: they were inspiring, energising, youthful and full of promise. They gave us exactly the kind of #positivevibes we were so desperately in need of this year. Despite all the soaring through the air and balancing on impossible surfaces, skateboarding is still a sport that manages to feel inclusive and accessible for those of all ages. Plus, the dress code is effortless, comfortable and currently on trend (see: everything baggy and tie-dyed).”

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Surviving The Horror Of Residential Schools By Skateboarding

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There are sometimes rumors of stories about your friends that you don’t know if they are true or just rumors. Stories of pain or of happiness or lucky or of secrets in someone’s closet. As a friend it is sometimes difficult to bring up the story in the case that by doing so, you are bringing up memories that your friend would hope to forget. Our friend, Joe Buffalo wants to talk about some government imposed pain that he lived through that he is currently trying to overcome clean and sober. We love you Buffalo!

Women inspired by Olympics learn skateboarding in Cornwall

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A group of women inspired by their children and the Olympics are taking skateboarding lessons in Cornwall. About 20 women aged 45 and above have joined the group, and are attending lessons at the Mount Hawke Skate Park near St Agnes.

Katie Mallam, 49, said she had gone over ramps and completed kick turns.

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