Claude-Cardinal Park

This park honors Claude Cardinal, a man dedicated to sports in Sainte-Adèle. He was the founding President of the Sainte-Adèle Optimist Club in 1969. At that time, this non-profit organization focused on developing sports activities, including minor league baseball.

The numerous facilities found here, from the basketball court to the skate park, reflect the diversity of Claude Cardinal's involvement.

Claude Cardinal was born in 1940. Just as he was completing his classical studies at the Collège de Montréal, his mother Irène Gauthier bought the restaurant Au petit Lutin.

In 1948, Joseph-Édouard Viau, a general contractor, and his wife Hélène Groulx purchased the vacant lot on the southwest corner of Henri-Dunant Street and Sainte-Adèle Boulevard to build the restaurant they named Au Petit Lutin. The business was then adjacent to the Dominion grocery supermarket.

Photo: Advertisement for the restaurant Au Petit Lutin, formerly located on Sainte-Adèle Boulevard. Céline Cardinal Collection.

The Cardinal family remained the owners of the restaurant until the 1980s. The building was demolished a few years later. The space has since remained vacant, right next to the pharmacy, the dry cleaner, and an electrical materials retail store.

Photo: Skiers in front of the restaurant Au petit Lutin, in the snow. Société d’histoire et de généalogie des Pays-d’en-Haut.

In 1971, 120 young people enrolled in the baseball program, and the following year, the committee asked Ronald Piché, associated with the Montreal Expos Club, to come and complete the training of the team leaders. The 'Group of 6,' as they were called at the time, included Claude Cardinal, René Dufresne, Laurent Courcy, Raymond Lefebvre, Gilles Moreau, and Gaston Jolicoeur.

In 1975, the city of Sainte-Adèle issued a call for tenders for the construction of illuminated baseball fields and a chalet. Bourg-Joli Park was inaugurated a few years later. After the death of Claude Cardinal, to honor his work in minor sports in Sainte-Adèle, Bourg-Joli Park was renamed Claude-Cardinal Park.

Photo: Excerpt from the call for tenders for the development of two baseball fields at Bourg-Joli Park, La Presse newspaper, Montreal, October 10, 1975.

In 1989, twenty years after its formation, the Optimist Club had raised over $750,000 for the youth of Sainte-Adèle. Bourg-Joli Park, initially developed for baseball, changed its purpose and was renamed Claude-Cardinal Park.

Photo: Announcement celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Sainte-Adèle Optimist Club displayed on the wall of the Pine Cinema, facing Sainte-Adèle Boulevard, 1989. Today, you can see the space painted by artist Joane Michaud, The Great Builders, created in 2004. Collection: Céline Cardinal.

Involved in his community, Jean-Paul, the son of Claude Cardinal, became a city councilor with Mayor Pierre Grignon's team. Then, in 2001, Jean-Paul Cardinal became the mayor of the city. He remained in office until 2007. Like his father, he was actively involved with the youth. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 52.

Photo: Jean-Paul Cardinal, mayor of Sainte-Adèle from 2001 to 2007. Céline Cardinal Collection.