Mixed victory for the elderly people of the Mont-Carmel residence, in Montreal: the owner has just announced to them that he is finally giving up on evicting those who have not yet left.
What there is to know
In February 2022, the elderly at the Mont-Carmel seniors’ residence received an eviction notice: their homes would once again become standard apartments.
The case took place in court and in the public arena, with several groups coming to the defense of these tough seniors.
The owner, Henry Zavriyev, now says he is giving up on moving forward with the evictions.
This group of elderly people has been fighting hard for more than two years – in public and in court – to prevent their seniors’ residence (RPA) from being transformed into standard housing.
They have been meeting every Wednesday for two years, for coffee, but above all to keep morale up.
Then, this letter, signed by the owner, Henry Zavriyev, which has just reached them.
“Your concerns, combined with an assessment of the entire file, have made us review our approach and motivate our decision. »
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
This group of seniors has been fighting hard for more than two years to prevent the Mont-Carmel seniors’ residence from being transformed into standard housing.
This is bittersweet news, we understand from the reaction of the elderly.
Two years ago, there were 216 residents, there are now “47 resistance fighters”, summarizes Normand Brault, member of the Save Mont-Carmel committee, in an interview.
Constance Vaudrin explains that the day after receiving the eviction notice, a committee was formed to prevent people, shocked by the announcement, from retreating into their apartments and brooding. “We had to monitor those who were not doing well, provide news – lawyers, especially – and organize activities, given that there was no longer a leisure committee. »
Together, we gave each other hope.
Constance Vaudrin
From this struggle, she retains the solidarity of the elders, who, even in recent weeks, have continued to attend Wednesday meetings by the dozen, welcoming into their ranks those who had decided to move.
Activist fiber
The owner had come across tough “and supportive” elderly people, says Mme Vaudrin, who emphasizes that several of them have known each other for a long time and already had an activist streak. “Some campaigned for international solidarity, others were involved in community work, in the defense of different rights…”
In two years, they went before the Superior Court, before the Administrative Housing Tribunal. But as M explainsme Vaudrin, nothing is the same anymore. “Out of the 15 apartments on my floor, there are only two older people left. » After the eviction notice, many elderly people decided to leave. “Mr Zavriyev has increased the rents” and many of the accommodations are now occupied by asylum seekers who, given the cost, live in groups in the same apartment, notes Mme Vaudrin.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The Mont-Carmel seniors’ residence
“We have good contact with them, but of course, they arrive with their youth, the music a little loud…”
In short, Mont-Carmel no longer has much of the RPA it once was and the victory achieved is “all in all very partial”, continues Mme Vaudrin.
“We must take into account the residents who left along the way. There are also those who, under pressure, in the face of eviction notices, signed new leases not linked to RPA certification and who still live in Mont-Carmel. We have no intention of giving up on them at all. »
Olive branch
At the end of 2022, saying he was tired of being portrayed as the champion of the “renoviction” of elderly people, Mr. Zavriyev made an outing in the media. He said he wanted the debate to be depersonalized and he argued that his business decisions were the same as those of so many other managers of private residences for seniors in difficulty.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Gisèle Ampleman in one of the common rooms of the residence
In the letter he has just sent to residents, Mr. Zavriyev extends the olive branch. “We understand and recognize that the announcement of the conversion of your homes, in February 2022, has raised concerns and strong reactions among many of you. Your passion for your residence has been clearly expressed, to say the least,” he wrote in his letter.
Mr. Brault, who would like to thank the unions, popular groups and MP Manon Massé, from Québec solidaire, for their support, believes that the fight is far from over. “We no longer want our RPA to be the property of one man, we should transform into a community RPA, in the form of an NPO [organisme à but non lucratif], For example. »
“With our lawyers, we think about the acknowledgment of receipt that we will write. If he [le propriétaire] is serious, it must allow those who left to return,” maintains Mr. Brault.
He says he does not take Mr. Zavriyev’s conversion “for cash” and he now hopes that the laws will be changed to prevent other seniors in Quebec from experiencing all the stress that they themselves experienced.