After opposition from local residents, the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville says plans to buy a property on Bois-de-Boulogne Avenue intended for a 24-7 homeless shelter are dead in the water.
Borough Mayor Émilie Thuillier told Global News on Saturday that negotiations between the City of Montreal and the owners of a building in the area have ended.
The property where the proposed shelter was expected to open next month is owned by Fondation Gracia, which operated a palliative care facility in the building until recently.
The real estate agent representing the building owners told Global News the foundation no longer wants to sell the property to the city.
“We’ll continue to find a location, that’s my message to people in the borough,” said Thuillier. “If you think about a building where there’s already equipment for people to live, we are open.”
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On Saturday morning, Thuillier greeted around 100 residents gathered at a local park, where they protested against the idea of opening a new shelter at the proposed site.
Many argue the area, steps away from a daycare, a senior’s residence and a number of schools, isn’t suited for a shelter.
“You cannot put this kind of shelter right beside the kids, right beside the elderly people — there’s an old home there — and right beside the school. It doesn’t make any sense,” said Rachel Rakhi, Ahuntsic-Cartierville resident.
Thuillier says she could understand residents’ concerns, but she says, as a mostly residential neighbourhood it will be a difficult task to find a perfect location — and the need for a shelter in the area is growing.
“We have homeless people in the borough, we have tents in a lot of parks — they are not so visible, we understand, but these people are existing in Ahuntsic-Cartierville,” she said.
Some residents say they’re not against a shelter for the most vulnerable, but what they take issue with is that they were never consulted.
“Why don’t they do a poll of the people here? Why are they doing it under the table? It’s unacceptable,” said Amine Samaha, Ahuntsic-Cartierville resident.
The borough says it plans to continue its search for another location in the area.
Residents say they hope next time, they’ll be brought along in the process.