Fearing demolition, Montreal skateboarders rally to protect DIY skatepark from city [Video]

Frédérique Luyet hops on her skateboard, rides the half pipe and pulls off a trick. But the spot where she honed her skills and practises to this day is not your ordinary skatepark.

The outdoor, do-it-yourself space she favours is called Project 45, which sits sandwiched between a soccer stadium in Montreal’s Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough and Le TAZ, what is billed as Canada’s largest indoor skatepark.

The space took shape in 2010 when skateboarders built it with their own hands, using land belonging to the city of Montreal but with what they say was the blessing of Le TAZ.

But since late September, skateboarders like Luyet have begun to fear they may lose their beloved skatepark amid the city’s plans to redevlop the space.

“I poured concrete here with my friends and I did the rebar … We spent our own money doing it,” Luyet said Saturday in an interview, adding …