Soon a Karim Ouellet park?

The singer-songwriter of Senegalese origin is recognized for his pop music with soul, reggae, folk and electro flavors.

Parc Lucien-Borne located in the Montcalm district of Quebec could soon be renamed in tribute to the artist Karim Ouellet. A public consultation to this effect will take place online from April 5 to 23.

The information was made public in a sheet available on the Ville de Québec website. We can read there that “the Committee of toponymy of the City of Quebec proposes to modify the name of the park Lucien-Borne for “park Karim-Ouellet””. “This park will soon become the privileged place to admire a mural in tribute to Afro-Quebec citizens where fifteen personalities, including Karim Ouellet, will be represented on the back wall of the community center”, explains the administration.

Last December, the councilor for the district of Limoilou, Jackie Smith, had asked the municipal council “to recognize the importance that Karim Ouellet has for the city of Quebec and Quebec culture and to ask the Committee of toponymy to analyze in 2023 the name of a space in honor of the artist Karim Ouellet, in the borough of La Cité-Limoilou”. His proposal had been accepted and Mayor Marchand had assured that the City would collaborate with the family of the singer-songwriter who died in 2021. Joined by Métro, Ms Smith was delighted that the City “be as quick on the file”. “Karim Ouellet grew up in Montcalm and he was very active in Limoilou. His studio was located in Saint-Roch. I think the choice of Parc Lucien-Borne is appropriate to pay tribute to him,” she noted.

In the event that the name change of Parc Lucien-Borne to “Parc Karim-Ouellet” is approved, the  community center Lucien-Borne located at the same location will retain its name, which honors the former mayor of Quebec in office from 1938 to 1953.