PARC DE LA GRAND-OASIS

Arrondissment: La Haute-Saint-Charles

Address: 1920 rue des Tricornes

Nearest bus stop: Bus 282 stops on rue de Venus along the northern edge of the park, while bus 82 stops on nearby avenue Lapierre.

Parking: Free car park

Playground surface: Sand; wood chips

Age range: 18 months-5 years; 5-12 years

Swings? Yes - 2 for babies; 4 for older children

Sandbox? Yes

Splashpad? Yes

Swimming pool? No

Toilets? Yes but they were closed.

Picnic tables? No, but there are bleachers around the football pitches.

Other facilities: Football (soccer) pitches; skate park. What I liked: This is a really lovely little park, especially with the autumn colours. There is an interesting variety of playground equipment, including a rock climbing wall. Sebastian and Penelope also enjoyed crawling through the metal sculpture (which you can just about see in the photos below).

What I didn’t like: Lack of seating. Toilets were closed.

PARC DE LA CHAUMIÈRE

Arrondissement: La Haute-Saint-Charles

Address: 4285 rue René-Chaloult

Nearest bus stop: de l’Astrolabe (buses 274 and 374)

Parking: Free car park or free street parking on rue René-Chaloult

Playground surface: Sand; synthetic; wood chips

Age range: 18 months-5 years. Older children can use the play equipment belonging to the nearby primary school.

Swings? Yes - 2 for babies; 2 for older children. There are also more swings in the school playgrounds.

Sandbox? Yes

Splashpad? No

Swimming pool? No

Toilets? Yes - but a sign on the door stated that they were exclusively for the use of day camps. I’m not sure whether they are available to everyone outside the summer season.

Picnic tables? Yes

Other facilities: Basketball court; (soccer) field; ice rink What I liked: Built in 2020, this is the newest playground we’ve visited so far. The design is visually striking, colourful and fun. There is also a big sandbox with a “sculpture workshop” table.

What I didn’t like: There are little green granules in the synthetic grass that smaller babies might pick up and eat. After doing a bit of research, I’ve learnt that this infill - which weighs the grass down, protects it from discolouration and stains and prevents the growth of bacteria - is safe for human and animal consumption but some parents might not feel comfortable taking that risk.

PARC DE LA CHANTERELLE

Arrondissment: La Haute-Saint-Charles

Address: 1525 rue de l'Innovation

Nearest bus stop: Emerson (70, 77, 84, 984)

Parking: Free parking in the Parc-o-Bus

Playground surface: Sand; wood chips

Age range: 18 months-5 years; 5-12 years

Swings? Yes - 3 for babies; 3 for older children

Sandbox? Yes

Splashpad? Yes

Swimming pool? Yes, there is an indoor one which I think is part of the nearby secondary school.

Toilets? Yes, but they were closed when we visited.

Picnic tables? Yes

Other facilities: American football pitch, basketball courts, football (soccer) pitches, skate ramp, tennis courts.

What I liked: For some reason, Sebastian loved running around the synthetic football pitch shouting “All blue!“ (the astroturf or whatever it was is blue and green).

What I didn’t like: One of the slides is boarded-up.