The members of the Club de bocce l’Acadie say they feel betrayed by the administration of Valérie Plante who announced to them, last August, that the City would not renew the lease of the premises they occupy. For these seniors, this decision deprives them of a living environment and an activity that keeps them active.
Supported by the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and MNA for Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Mélanie Joly, and by several organizations including the National Congress of Italian-Canadians and the Regional Council of Italian-Canadian Seniors (CRAIC), the Club de bocce l Acadie, which has 450 members, launched a “cry from the heart” on Thursday to the administration of Valérie Plante.
On August 29, the Club learned from the Mayor of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Émilie Thuillier, that the City would stop paying the rent for their premises located at 10526, boulevard de L’Acadie, when the lease ended on December 31. 2022.
For 20 years, the City has paid the rent for the premises that were lent to the bocce club. However, the borough considers that the annual cost of rent of $210,000 per year has become too high. In September, however, the borough offered to extend the occupation of the premises until July 31, 2023.
The bocce players who have frequented this place for 20 years have been offered time slots at the Bordeaux-Cartierville community center and in the basement of the Saint-Simon-Apôtre church. But these spaces do not allow the practice of bocce inside, they lament.
“After a long pandemic, the borough is taking away what keeps us mentally and physically active, inviting us to play cards instead. We feel betrayed and abandoned, ”said Cecilia Fazioli, spokesperson for the Marcelin-Wilson Golden Age Club, during a press conference organized by the opposition party at City Hall.
Ensemble Montréal has been hounding the administration on this subject for months, but to no avail. The Ovide-Clermont district councilor, Chantal Rossi, indicates that the administration requires seniors to fundraise to cover the cost of rent. “Basically, what the administration asks of these seniors is to build a business model in a few months. I don’t know anyone who is capable of doing it let alone a seniors club,” she explained. “These people want to play bocce. They want to move. They don’t want to sit down and play cards. »
“Loneliness is the main cause of illness in the elderly”, insisted his colleague and adviser Giovanni Rapanà with emotion.
Ensemble Montréal intends to table a motion that will be debated at next week’s city council meeting so that elected officials in Montreal give their support to the Club de bocce l’Acadie. This motion asks that bocce players be able to have access to City facilities to practice their sport for at least five years, 365 days a year.
Further details will follow.