City fountains running dry
Some of the city’s most prominent fountains are not running this summer because they’re too expensive to repair. Neither the Lafontaine Park fountain in the lake nor the La Fermière sculpture at Maisonneuve market are working, bids coming in at “insane” numbers according to the quoted expert.
I noticed this week that the fountain that’s the focal point of the little square at Jean‑Talon and St‑Laurent was not working. I didn’t think it worth posting about, but now I see it’s part of a bigger picture.
bob 15:08 on 2025-07-19 Permalink
They are not too expensive to repair, the city has decided to spend that money elsewhere, like on life affirming and aesthetically pleasing traffic cone transportation motifs.
Look – if you want to live in a city of fountains, move to Rome. Montreal has other priorities.
Kate 15:41 on 2025-07-19 Permalink
That’s a bit brutal. Fountains are often the set piece for a whole park or square. Not letting them run is a kind of broken-window signal.
DeWolf 20:32 on 2025-07-19 Permalink
I love fountains and it’s very disappointing to not only see so many of them out of order, but the city gradually doing away with them in new/renovated public spaces. The fountain in front of Verdun borough hall will be removed when the square is expanded and revamped, for example.
When one of Quebec’s only fountain engineers says prices to repair fountains are mysteriously exorbitant, maybe we should look into exactly why it’s so difficult to maintain fountains in this city.
Kate 22:35 on 2025-07-19 Permalink
And yet it’s not so long since they put in that fountain in Parc Lahaie, in front of St‑Enfant‑Jésus.
CE 00:00 on 2025-07-20 Permalink
I’ve noticed that the relatively new fountains in Square Viger haven’t been turned on for at least the last month (maybe the whole summer?). Those fountains were a big part of the new park and it looks pretty desolate there without them.
DeWolf 01:25 on 2025-07-20 Permalink
It’s in the article. Something in the Viger Square fountain is already broken and they’re still trying to figure out the problem.
@Kate Luc Ferrandez was apparently a big fountain guy. There’s a relatively new one in Devonshire Park too, it’s really nice.
Orr 22:37 on 2025-07-21 Permalink
In Viger Square’s redesign they eliminated the “building’s wall full-wall waterfall.” It was so great. My favourite waterfall in Montreal. I hope the ground level fountains that are its replacements get fixed soon.