Growing number of Montreal boroughs pass bylaws to block sale of seniors' homes

Eleven boroughs in the city of Montreal have already adopted or are in the process of adopting bylaws blocking the conversion of private seniors' residences (RPAs) to the private market.

It follows controversy over the sale of several seniors' homes including Résidence Mont-Carmel in the city's downtown last year, where seniors previously had low-income adjusted rents, on-site nursing services and common areas where activities were held.

"It's far from being the first RPA to be subject to that kind of conversion, just to speculate and make more money for the new owners," said Samuel Vanzin, an organizer with the downtown housing committee in the Ville-Marie borough.

At least eight RPAs were shut down or converted to the private market in Montreal in 2021, according to the committee's count, and at least four this year faced the same fate, Vanzin said.

A group of over 50 residents at Mont-Carmel have since taken the building's owner to Quebec Superior Court after they were told to move out or pay more for fewer services. At court they've pointed to the sale agreement signed by the owner that includes a clause stating the building wouldn't be stripped of its status as an RPA.

Vanzin said he hopes there's a chance the bylaw recently adopted by the borough could apply retroactively to Mont-Carmel, but it's yet to be seen whether the court will consider that.

"If their struggle can avoid thousands of other seniors avoiding the same struggle, then it's a great achievement in itself," he said.

"People are seeing that it's lucrative, so there's a trend going toward that. Now with the new bylaw hopefully that'll stop that."

Province needs to step up

Constance Vaudrin, 84, has lived in the building for over five years and says it's encouraging to see how city officials have stepped up in recent months.

"We are hoping this will get to the government of Quebec, because this is where the laws are passed," said Vaudrin, one of the residents included in the legal battle.

Vaudrin also hopes to see more provincial funding toward the homes, saying the trend of them closing shows no sign of changing.

The city's South-West, Lachine, Verdun, Plateau-Mont-Royal, Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension, Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce boroughs have all adopted bylaws to prevent RPAs on their territory from being stripped of their status and turning into ordinary rental apartments.

The bylaws apply to all RPAs currently offering medical services. 

Meanwhile the Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles, Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie and Ahuntsic-Cartierville boroughs are in the process of adopting similar bylaws, according to a statement from the city's executive committee.

"For us it's very important that the elderly that are in our borough, that live in Montreal, are able to stay," said Lachine Mayor Maja Vodanovic.

"We don't want them to be put out in the streets by promoters that want to make more money by building condos."

In August, Montreal's city council unanimously also adopted a motion calling on the Quebec government to impose a one-year moratorium on converting RPAs into apartment buildings.

"There's a lot of people fighting against this type of behaviour, and as the city we want to provide help to those people because if we want to have a mixed community in Montreal, that also means elderly people," said Robert Beaudy, a city councillor in the Ville-Marie borough where Mont-Carmel is.

The residents of Mont-Carmel are still waiting for a decision from Quebec's Superior Court following their most recent hearing last month, Vaudrin said.

From there the residents are still waiting to learn whether their case will continue to be heard at the court or Quebec's housing tribunal.

"They've taken everything from us," she said, adding that remaining nursing services are so slim many residents fear for their well-being.

Her landlord, real-estate firm Leyad, plans to get rid of those medical services completely, she said. CBC News reached out to the owner for comment on Saturday but has yet to receive a response. 

"We have no more activities. All of our corridors are all empty, they took out all the chairs. It's a sad situation," Vaudrin said.