A former convent complex in Dorval is now at the heart of a dispute between the city and some concerned citizens.
The City of Dorval bought the three buildings on Lake Saint Louis in 2022 from the sisters of the congregation of Notre-Dame.
The entire property needs to be renovated to be up to today’s safety standards, but the city intends to only use two of them, the chapel and the adjacent house.
The city voted in April that it intends to demolish the annex, which used to house 75 sisters.
“From an efficiency point of view, we think it is important to just get rid of it,” said Marc Doret, mayor of Dorval. “Once we’ve done that, we can reflect on what the next use of this property will be.”
Some concerned citizens think it is unacceptable to demolish the building in a time where housing and social resources are so scarce.
Dorval resident and advocate against the demolition of the annex, Rachelle Cournoyer, told Global News that, “If we look at the tremendous social need there is in the city right now for housing, to demolish a convent like this, which could house 75 people, is unconscionable.”
Even though most rooms do not have a private bathroom, Cournoyer thinks that in times like these, “there would be takers.”
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The city says renovations costs are prohibitive. Doret said that the building needs a sprinkler system, insulation, and that there are exposed metal beams.
“We’re talking about millions and millions of dollars,” he explained.
“It’s a 59-years-old building, of course it’s not up to code,” said Fernando Pellicer, a retired architect with a background in heritage building restoration and Dorval resident.
“You don’t demolish that, otherwise you would have to demolish half of the city of Montreal.”
Advocates feel that the city is not being transparent about the evaluation of the property.
“For example, the architectural audit was released by the city, only the day after the city passed the intent to demolish,” claimed Cournoyer.
Dorval city councillor Pascal Brault said in council meeting on July 15 that he voted against the demolition because some documents were missing.
Citizens also believe that the city asked consultants to confirm their bias that the property has no heritage value.
Through an access to information request, citizens obtained a letter from architecture firm Lemay Michaud, which was hired to assess to heritage value of the annex.
In the document, Lemay Michaud confirms to the city of Dorval that the they “understand that the mandate consists of two parts: confirmation of the absence of architectural and heritage value of the Annex (1965), and the presentation of options for restoring the facade of the building impacted by the demolition of the Annex.”
“I understand where they’re coming from,” responded Doret. “Was the wording of the resolution for the heritage value evaluation the best possible wording? Probably not.”
The city would like to use the remaining two buildings for council meetings, other council activities, and possibly turn one of them into a home for the Dorval Historical Society.
Advocates say that the annex could become social housing for seniors, offices for social services, a community centre, and have many more ideas.
They allege that the city wants to demolish the annex because the residents living nearby do not want the area to become too busy.
“There is probably kind of a nimby reaction,” Cournoyer said.
The mayor says they bought the property because it is one of the few public places with access to the lake. However, his administration believes the site should remain peaceful, as it is currently.
“Whatever we have here is going to have to go along those lines. I don’t think that having 15 or 20 or 30 cars parked in the parking lot here is really the best thing for this property,” Doret explained.
Any demolition will have to await an evaluation of the building’s heritage value. The City of Dorval does not know what would replace the annex in case it is demolished.