After its premises were flooded by torrential rains on August 9, a daycare center serving 80 children in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood was unable to find new accommodation two weeks after the events.
When the storm passes Debbyrain infiltrated the CPE Carcajou building due to defective roof drains.
“Due to water leaks, the ceilings and floors were torn apart on three floors,” says CPE director Marie-Claire Simard. “There were literally waterfalls falling from the ceilings.”
However, recent inspections carried out in preparation for upcoming work revealed the presence of asbestos in the building. For this reason, the restoration work will take longer.
“We are forced to close for at least four months,” says M.me Simard.
The CPE Carcajou is located next to the Rosalie-Jetté school, where teenage mothers continue their studies. Many young mothers, aged 12 to 21, send their babies there as soon as they are five weeks old.
Part of the CPE’s facilities are located in the school building. However, the CPE received an eviction notice from the Montreal School Service Centre (CSSDM) in 2020 and has since been trying to find new premises to replace the current location, without success.
This time, the situation is urgent since the parents of 80 children find themselves without childcare.
We have received calls from distressed parents who are on the verge of losing their jobs because they have not found any other solution for childcare and have to stay at home.
Marie-Claire Simard, director of the CPE
“Even for people who have a job that allows telework, it’s not true that you can work with a 3-year-old child at home,” adds Marie-Hélène Lacroix, mother of four children, including a toddler who attends the Carcajou CPE. “So we have 80 families who are affected by the situation.”
The two women show us around the damaged premises of the daycare, which has been located in the building of a former credit union since 2004. Water has leaked into the walls and soaked the floors, particularly along the air ducts, the condition of which needs to be checked. Workers have started removing the drywall, floor covering and ceiling tiles.
Nowhere to go
With her board of directors, Marie-Claire Simard says she has been doing everything she can to find a new temporary location in the area for the past two weeks.
In commercial premises, they refuse to rent to us because we are too noisy, or because they do not accept a one-year lease. Other places that have been suggested to us would require major work.
Marie-Claire Simard, director of the CPE
She thought she had found a solution when the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough suggested that the CPE move to the Saint-Donat Community Centre, owned by the city. The equipment and furniture needed to accommodate the children were even moved there last week.
However, an architect commissioned by the Ministry of the Family to ensure the compliance of the premises decreed that the place was not safe due to the presence of a construction site on the ground floor.
Even after contacting the City of Montreal, the borough, the Ministry of Families, the provincial deputy, the CSSDM, and consulting several real estate agents, the CPE is unable to find another location in the same sector.
Finding a place to accommodate 80 children and their teachers is no small task. It requires toilets, access to water, a nearby playground, a kitchen or the possibility of bringing in a caterer. But the employees are ready to operate “in camping mode” for a certain time, even in premises that do not have all the amenities, for example by using portable toilets, describes the general manager.
“Everyone tells us that our case is important and urgent, but the solutions are not coming,” says Mr.me Simard: There are no locals in the area. We are making a heartfelt plea for help!