The Ville de Vaudreuil-Dorion Inaugurates Its Community Orchard
Yesterday, the Ville de Vaudreuil-Dorion inaugurated its community orchard, located in parc Lorne-Worsley, in the presence of municipal officials, Mr. Éric Jean, the project’s initiator, local residents, and representatives from the municipal teams that helped bring it to fruition.
The community orchard is the winning project of the 2024 participatory budgeting process. It was proposed by Mr. Éric Jean, who has been working since the fall of 2024 with the Service des Travaux publics and the Division Environnement to bring this initiative to life for the community. Several residents also took part in the planting activities that took place over the past year, thereby contributing to the creation of this new community space.
“The orchard we are inaugurating today is a concrete example of the value of participatory budgeting and, more broadly, the importance of citizen participation. An idea submitted by a resident has become a tangible project, carried out for the community. It’s a way to make room for residents’ ideas in the development of our city,” said Paul Dumoulin, mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion.
The orchard features about twenty fruit trees, including plum, pear, apple, cherry, and peach trees, as well as fruit shrubs such as blueberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, and redcurrant bushes. Herbaceous plants, including several herbs and edible plants, round out the layout.
A Space for the Community
The community orchard is open to everyone. However, the City asks visitors to respect the grounds, take good care of them, and consider those who will visit after them. The goal is for this space to remain a community asset whose upkeep and long-term sustainability depend equally on community involvement.
Residents who wish to help maintain the orchard or express interest in getting involved can contact the Division Environnement of the Ville de Vaudreuil-Dorion.
Through this project, the City aims, in particular, to foster residents’ sense of ownership of a community space and to continue its efforts to develop a culture of civic participation.
