Eviction uproar at Résidences Tournesol

An intermediary resource (IR) is lodging exclusively for semi-dependant elderly people, who cannot live alone but need less than three hours of care per day. As part of a public-private agreement, Résidences Tournesol’s management, Cogir, is supposed to provide 55 spots, and the CSSS Bordeaux-Cartierville will provide the services.

“Cogir did not respect the law. They didn’t give six months notice, and the residents were not informed that they were entitled to compensation,” said Dominique Perrault of the <@Ri>Comité logement de Bordeaux-Cartierville<@Li>.

Cogir denies having behaved unlawfully. “We didn’t send out written eviction notices. Instead, we opted for individual agreements made privately with the residents, to negotiate what was best for both parties,” said Gilles Corriveau, a communications officer for Cogir. According to Corriveau, moving costs for those who decided to leave the residence will be covered by Cogir, depending on the agreement reached. He added that residents who do not want to leave are free to stay.

Although Cogir assured everything was done with CSSS support, the story is different on that side. “We didn’t know how things were being done,” said Daniel Corbeil, director general of the CSSS Bordeaux-Cartierville, adding that he finds the situation unacceptable. He admitted a certain degree of responsibility for having chosen to collaborate with Cogir. “We did ask them to get things done as quickly as possible, but we presumed that it would be done respectfully,” he said.

According to Denise Gagnon, communications officer for the CSSS administration, individual private agreements are tricky, especially when dealing with the elderly. “They were negotiating with people who were 90 years old. What do you think happened? People in their 90’s don’t always understand their rights. They (Cogir) say they came to an agreement with the people, but they may not have given them half of the information they needed,” she said.

Over the next week, all 55 people affected by the situation will meet with CSSS and <@Ri>Comité logement de Bordeaux-Cartierville<@Li> representatives to determine whether or not their rights were abused. A Résidences Tournesol tenant committee supported by the CSSS will also be formed. A second meeting, without Cogir representatives, is scheduled for Oct. 11.

During the Oct. 1 Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough meeting, elected officials described the situation as “unfortunate.” “If there is something we can do, we should do it,” said Ahuntsic councilor Pierre Lapointe. On the provincial level, Prime Minister Jean Charest denounced evicting elderly people. However, he did not question public-private partnerships, which the <@Ri>Comité logement de Bordeaux-Cartierville<@Li> believes is at the centre of the current situation.

While the CSSS does not question these types of partnerships, it does admit there is room for improvement – the Résidences Tournesol situation is not the first IR related eviction case in Montreal. “We realize there have to be stricter guidelines for the private sector when it comes to evicting residents,” Corbeil said, adding nothing has been signed with Cogir yet. “There’s always the option of not signing at all, but we hope to come to an agreement with Cogir.”

(Translated by Elyse Amend)