The mayoress of Montreal defended the action of city officials on Wednesday in the face of allegations that the borough of Ville-Marie authorized the installation of rooms without windows.
Valérie Plante welcomed the launch of a public coroner’s inquiry into the fatal fire at Place D’Youville, but in the same breath exonerated the officials in charge of issuing permits in the center of the metropolis.
“The work done by inspectors in Ville-Marie and in the various boroughs is consistent with their responsibilities. It is important for me to mention it,” she said. “All the processes have been done, have been followed. »
The launch of the coroner’s public inquiry, “it’s a good thing”, she added. “We, what we want is for that to never happen again. »
The duty revealed last week that at least four accommodation buildings in Old Montreal have received transformation permits from the borough of Ville-Marie, including the development of windowless rooms. This is particularly the case of the basement of the Hôtel Hygie, on rue Notre-Dame.
Valérie Plante called on anyone who is offered to sleep in a dangerous hotel room to report the situation to the City of Montreal.
“Let them inform 311 right away, right away, right away,” she said, pointing out, however, the existence of certain exceptions to the Building Code. “If there are people who have doubts, they absolutely must not put their health and safety at stake. They should contact the borough. »
The Mayor of Montreal also announced the launch of an inspection blitz of old buildings in collaboration with the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ). “We have a shared responsibility for inspection,” she stressed on many occasions. “We are going to go around to say: that, it works and that, it does not work. »