Since the beginning of the month, signs were posted in the five Place Henri-Bourassa buildings telling the tenants to leave the premises. (Photo: Jacques Pharand)
Five Place Henri-Bourassa buildings to be condemned
Despite rental board regulations, the owner of Places Henri-Bourassa and Place l’Acadie – who has faced a fair share of controversy – posted signs in five of his buildings announcing they will soon be condemned. About 30 families will be affected, and some of them have already started packing up their belongings.
The buildings at 2040, 2050, 2060, 2070 and 2100 Place Henri-Bourassa are at risk of becoming like the three deserted structures at Place l’Acadie. At the beginning of November, the owner of the complex posted signs inside the buildings announcing they would be condemned and giving the tenants one month to leave their apartments.
On top of not respecting the six-month warning required by the Quebec rental board (Régie du logement), a press release from the Places en mouvement organization stated the owner will not provide the tenants any viable alternatives for the families that have been told to move.
Furthermore, according to Patrick Marcoux, the spokesperson of the residents’ committee, without any warning, the owner’s representatives went around in at least one of the 21 buildings telling the tenants to leave. “It seemed like the landlord wanted to clear out the apartments where the Laurentienne Bank was taking the rent,” said Marcoux. He explained that, following an issue with mortgage payments, the bank started taking in rent from certain buildings in December 2005.
An abundance of problems
According to the Places en movement press release, no municipal authority or anyone else asked for these buildings to be condemned. For the past year, the City of Montreal has been after the landlord to fix the problems in his buildings. The landlord is presently in court. Official reports of offences -- which include vermin problems, security infringements and general deterioration of the buildings – amount to $1 million.
The Regroupement des comités logements et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ) strongly reprimanded the landlord’s actions and suggested, through a communiqué, that the city take over the work in place of the “delinquent landlord.”
A difficult decision
Despite these signs of protest, some tenants have started to pack their bags. “Many of the tenants are immigrants or are in a financially instable situation. These people are more vulnerable to intimidation, even more so when they don’t know their rights,” Marcoux said.
In some cases, it is a difficult decision. “There are some people who have been here for 15 years who put in their own money to improve the conditions in their residence,” Marcoux said. He underlined the fact that moving might pose some financial issues for the residents, especially when they need to have their possessions exterminated for vermin.
However, elements other than the landlord’s pressures have added to the stress of certain tenants. For example, there has been no heating in the building at 2040 Place Henri-Bourassa since October. Once half-full, the building is now almost completely empty.
The residents committee is working to inform people about their rights. A request to the rental board that would stop any money from getting to the landlord is in progress.
“We’re also in contact with organizations that might be interested in buying the buildings to turn into social housing,” Marcoux said.
While the residents committee is helping tenants who want to stay, they are also supporting those who choose to leave, Marcoux added. “We make sure they leave according to the rules so they don’t have any trouble with the landlord later on,” he said.
Despite everything, the residents continue to hope for a victory and that the apartments will finally be renovated and occupied. As the spokespeople from Places en mouvement have said, many of the tenants are attached to their living spaces and hope to see the situation improve, rather than the buildings close completely.
(Translated by Elyse Amend)
Météo: Montréal, 17 mai 2008 / 11°C
/ Quelques nuages
/ Vents: 7 Km/h / Humidité relative: 66 % 
Steven Guilbeault - 
