Grassroots group plans legal fight to save Dorval Municipal Golf Course

WATCH ABOVE: A grassroots committee has unleashed a new strategy in its effort to save the Dorval Municipal Golf Course. Global’s Billy Shields reports.

DORVAL – A grassroots committee has unleashed a new strategy in its effort to save the Dorval Municipal Golf Course.

The Committee to Save Our Greenspace is seeking to raise $6,000 to hire an attorney to furnish a legal opinion it hopes could save the course from the bulldozer.

According to Bruce Orr, who co-chairs the committee, the group aims to force the crown corporation that runs Trudeau Airport to turn over an environmental survey.

The company said the survey exists, but has not made it public.

“Somewhere it is in writing,” Orr said.

“That’s why we need a lawyer, so we can see what it says.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "That's why we need a lawyer, so we can see what it says."

In January, Aéroports de Montréal, the crown corporation that manages Trudeau Airport – and owns the course’s land – announced it would not renew the club’s lease with the City of Dorval for 2016.

“This is an area that should definitely not be built on,” Orr said.

“It was created as a buffer zone.”

The committee is working outside the conventional channels.

The “Muni,” as the golf course is called, is operated by the City of Dorval and the committee is acting independently of the city.

Dorval Mayor Edgar Rouleau was out of town Friday.

Committee members are also becoming increasingly frustrated by what they call a complete lack of transparency on the part of Aéroports de Montréal.

“They won’t talk to you, they just ignore you completely,” said David Maloney, co-chair of the committee.

“When they’re the big landowners, they don’t have to answer to you.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "When they're the big landowners, they don't have to answer to you."

Speculation and reports are all over the map as to what ADM plans to do with the land.

There are indications it could become the site of a light rail link, a depot of some kind or even a security centre.

ADM officials did not respond to Global News’ request for comment Friday.

“It just seems strange that they want to now come and build other things around it,” said club member Gordon Hunter.

“There’s a lovely green space here.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There's a lovely green space here."