Lieutenant Governor opens wheelchair ramp at St. Léon

Addressing parishioners following morning mass, Thibault, who gets around in a wheelchair, emphasized that people who aren't handicapped take for granted the fact they're able to walk freely in and out of buildings and establishments.

"More than 11 per cent of citizens live with a handicap," she told The Examiner. "It is not only those who are in wheelchairs. We have to think, too, of older people. We have to think of citizens who are having difficulty walking or who have had surgery and who like to come to church but they cannot climb the steps."

Thibault said that more than a third of a community's population is likely to benefit from access to a handicapped ramp when the frail, elderly and infirm are all taken into consideration. The new ramp was completed for more than $150,000 over the past summer, nearly a decade after parish members first expressed a need for it, said Niquette Delage, a warden with the parish.

The project was not cheap because the ramp, made of concrete and stone with ornate railings, had to be designed to match the architecture of the 100-year-old church at the corner of Clarke Avenue and de Maisonneuve Boulevard, which is classified as historically valuable.

It also had to meet public safety code requirements and other criteria set by the City of Westmount. "This is a facility that meets people's needs," said Father Yves Guillemette, St. Léon's pastor. He noted that one of its first users the day before was an elderly lady who had recently undergone hip surgery.

"When I first arrived as pastor twelve years ago, there was already talk about building a ramp," said Guillemette. "There had been attempts and studies were made. It is only for about the past three years that we started saying that we had to complete this project."

In addition to parishioners attending mass, the ramp is likely to be accessed by many others, he added. "Often, for funerals, marriages or concerts, people call asking if the church is accessible," he said. "Older people have also started using it because either they use a cane or have difficulty climbing the steps. The ramp makes access easier."