‘It’s a dump’: Pierrefonds tenants upset about piles of branches covering backyard

Pierrefonds residents who live at Cloverdale Village Co-operative, near the eastern end of Pierrefonds, can hardly believe what their backyard looks like nowadays.

Some tenants say that a week ago, branches of six trees behind three apartment buildings were cut, and hundreds of branches have been lying on the ground ever since.

“It’s been a week and nothing has been done,” resident Anthony Dieni said. “And when I contacted the administration they told me, it’s going to get done when it gets done.”

Cloverdale is Canada’s largest housing co-op, with 58 buildings and over 4,000 residents.

Those who live in one apartment building say that not only do the branches not allow them to walk in or out through their back door, some branches are blocking one resident’s parking spot.

They also say it’s dangerous for the children and even animals in the area.

“It’s beyond belief,” resident Alain Lemire said. “It’s a dump, completely a dump.”

Residents blame the issue on poor management — they say this is just the tip of the iceberg.

They claim they are constantly dealing with poor living conditions, including problems with heating, and water damage, and they say it’s always difficult to get answers from management.

“They say we’re not paying much, that’s not why we don’t have that quality,” resident Aminatou Kamagate said. “But this is our life. This is what we can afford. So they have to do something.”

Cloverdale is under the umbrella of Fédération de l’Habitation Coopérative du Québec.

Cloverdale’s director, Hélène Ciabu Kalonga, told Global News that a company was contacted to remove the branches, but that because of the construction holiday, which started Monday, Cloverdale hasn’t been given a set date yet.

Global News has also reached out to the borough of Pierrefonds for reaction, but did not hear back before deadline.