The Wellington Basin in Montréal is one of the properties that Canada Lands Company acquired from Transport Canada in 2010. Canada Lands Company owns the majority of the land in the sector which is bound by Mill Street, Bridge Street, the Peel Basin and the new REM (Réseau express métropolitain) line—an area of 8 hectares (20 acres).
This industrial site has been in use since 1820. It was the location of Tate’s Dry Dock and was an important area for the livestock industry. It was also the location of the Wellington Basin itself, which, before it was mostly filled in, was the Lachine Canal’s largest basin and used primarily for the transshipment of coal. The site is now largely vacant, the only remaining industrial use being a flour mill.
In early 2020, the Office de consultation publique de Montréal completed a public consultation process for the broader Bridge-Bonaventure area that included this site. One of the OCPM’s key recommendations was the development of the Wellington Basin area into a mixed-use district. As the strategic vision began to take shape, Canada Lands remained committed to the goal of developing Wellington Basin into a resilient and inclusive living environment.
In 2023, the Company consulted nearly seventy community groups and experts through six types of consultation activities. Canada Lands Company’s rigorous consultation process has ensured the collective input from the local community’s shared aspirations, as well as a variety of municipal, institutional, and governmental stakeholders. In the same year, the city released a “Plan directeur de mise en valeur” (PDMV), which envisioned a high-density mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development for Wellington Basin. Canada Lands then commenced a public engagement process to inform the development of a detailed master plan.
In March 2025, Canada Lands Company joined the mayor of Montréal to announce plans to enable up to 13,500 housing units for the Bridge-Bonaventure sector. The development area is located between the Lachine Canal, the Old Port of Montréal and the St. Lawrence River – which includes Canada Lands’ Wellington Basin property, among others.
The site’s redevelopment will encompass three distinct zones; a new artisan’s district will be dedicated to promoting the traditional trades associated with the site’s history and will include a new arts and crafts school, artisan workshops and maintaining activities at the Forges de Montréal.
A new Basins Beach will become a recreational tourist area that will be built around Wellington Basin and the waterfront, as well as a new innovation cluster with a diversified economic hub. Following extensive public consultations, six priorities have been established for Wellington Basin:
• Reconnect neighbourhoods and improve mobility, • Densify strategically to enhance the experience and overall quality of life, • Meet the city’s objectives for affordable and social housing, • Develop a new network of parks and green and blue spaces, • Preserve and showcase heritage and history, • Aim for carbon neutrality by integrating the latest innovations.
