Sun Youth, which has been a fixture in Montreal’s Plateau neighbourhood for 36 years, is being forced to re-locate.
On Wednesday evening, the building’s owners, the Commission Scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) voted 15-2 in favour of taking over the space.
The Montreal charity operates out of the former Baron Byng High School on Saint-Urbain Street, offering a variety of services to low-income individuals and families with special needs.
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Sun Youth originally had plans to buy the building and invest $30-$35 million to upgrade it.
Ernie Rosa, Sun Youth properties manager, said fundraising efforts were being set in motion to get the project off the ground.
“We were on board to buy the building, that’s not the issue,” Rosa said.
“The school board needed it back to turn it into a school.”
Since September, 1,000 new students have enrolled with the CSDM and the school board said it needs room to accommodate the growing number.
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Sun Youth says it’s known that it may have to move since June and was hoping to work out an agreement with the school board.
Representatives for Sun Youth said they would like to find a new home nearby.
Our roots are here, our sports programs are here,” Rosa, told Global News in an interview last week.
“There’s so much history for us as an organization right here.”
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Sun Youth is optimistic it will find a new space and is planning to step up search efforts in the new year.
“We’re positive, our staff is positive,” Rosa said, taking a moment to reassure people who depend on the organization’s services.
“We’re internally confident, but never thought about how our clientele would feel,” he said.
“We just want to say, ‘don’t worry, you’re our primary concern.'”
The organization has been given a delay of 18 to 36 months to vacate the building and find a new home.