Plateau-Mont-Royal apartment building to be turned into affordable housing
CBC
A 93-unit building overlooking Montreal's Parc La Fontaine had become an emblem of the city's housing crisis — but now Manoir Lafontaine will be converted into affordable housing units.
Hillpark, a company run by Brandon Shiller and Jeremy Kornbluth, owned the building located in the city's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough for several years before selling it to Interloge — a non-profit group specializing in affordable housing — for $18,810,000. The transaction was finalized Tuesday.
"This is good news for the citizens of the Plateau-Mont-Royal," said Louis-Philippe Myre, executive director of Interloge.
"We are very proud to be part of this solution and offer affordable housing for many years in this area … and help each other get a better future."
In April, Montreal's executive committee authorized a $5.6 million grant to help Interloge take over the building on Papineau Avenue, with support from the Société d'Habitation du Québec.
Interloge's mission is to acquire and develop apartment buildings with affordable rents. Its housing stock includes more than 750 housing units and 1,000 others in the making. These dwellings are mainly rented to households living below the low-income threshold.
Myre said units at Manoir Lafontaine would cost about $1,000 per month.
In the spring of 2021, Hillpark sent eviction notices to the building's tenants, informing them that they would have to leave for a period of at least seven months for repairs.
The move caused outrage from the tenants who fought what they called a "renoviction" with the province's housing tribunal, the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL). In May 2022, the tribunal rejected Hillpark's request to temporarily evict tenants to carry out major work.
"Hillpark is satisfied in knowing the Manoir Lafontaine will become affordable housing and therefore contribute to offer a solution to Montrealers," said Kornbluth in a statement.
Interloge will have to renovate the building but says it will relocate all tenants into some of its existing housing stock while doing the repairs. The tenants will then be allowed to move back into their units once the renovations are finished.
Though Myre could not confirm how much money will be needed to repair the building, Radio-Canada sources say the construction budget for the Manoir Lafontaine is about $38 million — nearly $430,000 per housing unit.
This amount includes more than $15 million for major repairs to the heating system and elevators among other things, likely spread over two or three years.
Montreal and the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough will approve a grant of $35,000 on Monday for the costs of inspection and development of the building, according to Radio-Canada.
Even if you don’t want to sing, Nathan Whitlock says you should still come out to one of his band's live karaoke shows.
Drive south from Calgary on Highway 2 and watch as the speed cuts from 110 kilometres an hour down to 70, then 50, then 30 for a temporary school zone.
The new Ontario Line will include protective barriers at all stations to separate platforms from the tracks, something the Toronto Transit Commission has been considering adding to its subway system for years.
This First Person column is the experience of Andrew Stetson, a writer and storyteller in P.E.I. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
After years of seemingly unlimited growth for the craft beer industry, the party is winding down.
Even from a few kilometres away, Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira is able to perform a critical diagnostic procedure, thanks to an internet connection and a remote-controlled robot.
The side of an abandoned fish sauce plant in St. Mary's, N.L. was ripped open after high winds overnight Friday into Saturday.
A police officer shot a man on Quinpool Road after he allegedly threatened them with a knife, Halifax Regional Police said in a news release.
For nearly a month, Montrealers from African countries have been gathering in the city's cafés, restaurants, bars and the comfort of their own homes to support their respective teams in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations — the continent's preeminent soccer tournament.
The union that represents Manitoba nurses says the emergency department at the hospital in Swan River is running with half the nurses required, with some shifts having no nurses at all.
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is taking a brief leave of absence to attend to a family illness in Germany.
A fire tore through a school on Blueberry River First Nation north of Fort St. John early Saturday morning, destroying a building that has served the northeastern B.C. community for decades.