Several of the last tenants who cling to Manoir Lafontaine, a rental building in the Plateau-Mont-Royal largely emptied of its occupants in anticipation of major work, are “in boxes” in anticipation of a temporary move that is taking some time to materialize, found The duty. The agreement that should lead to this outcome is, however, the subject of difficult and drawn-out negotiations, and uncertainty hovers.
The view is captivating from the 10e floor of Manoir Lafontaine, located on Papineau Avenue, where The duty went on Friday to meet the tenants who still live there. Of the 90 apartments in this building built in 1966, fifteen are currently occupied, the others being empty in anticipation of major renovations which can only take place once all the occupants of the building have left the premises.
“I’m in the boxes over my head,” launches Francine Goyette. The 77-year-old lady pays 673 dollars a month for a large two and a half, which she has occupied since 2008 in this building at the foot of La Fontaine Park. In recent years, she has clung to her home, despite the deterioration of it, but “it’s nearing the end”, she hopes, relieved, like several other tenants of the building.
“It can’t go on like this. We have 15 apartments [occupés]. The water is hot when it’s running, you have to let it run because it’s yellow when you turn on the tap […] We will have to leave, ”also notes the tenant Renée Thifault, met a few floors above.
A symbol
Last year, the Manoir Lafontaine quickly became a symbol of the resilience of tenants in the context of the housing crisis. Feeling threatened with temporary eviction after receiving a notice to this effect on March 30, 2021, several tenants formed a united front against their landlords before the Administrative Housing Tribunal. The latter then ruled in their favor last May by concluding that the tenants could remain in the premises, the notices they had received for major work not being valid.
Since then, however, the building has continued to deteriorate, with poor housekeeping and tenants reporting water damage to the upper floors of this building, which once had a now derelict top-floor swimming pool. “There is another tenant who tried to open a door and the ceiling was falling”, reports Mme Thifault.
She adds that she does not feel safe in the large, almost empty building. “During the day, I open to you, but I would never have opened if you had knocked on my door at six in the evening. […] I’m scared,” she said.
Two meetings took place last month between the tenants, the owners of the building, lawyers and Pierre Guillot-Hurtubise of the National public relations firm, which led to a draft agreement. According to our information, the outlines of this provided for the remaining tenants of Manoir Lafontaine to be moved at the owners’ expense to housing of a similar size elsewhere in the borough. The tenants would then continue to pay the same rent – derisory for this sector – throughout the duration of the work, which could take more than a year. The tenants could then return to their old accommodation, the rent of which will have been revised according to the renovations carried out, say several sources.
This way out – and especially the possibility of returning to the premises after the work – has satisfied tenants. “I even started making boxes” last month, says tenant Renée Thifault, who believes that the owners’ proposals are “generous”. “They offer us a way that we will be moved without anxiety. »
Tough negotiations
However, a final agreement is slow to take shape, and the tenants have not heard from them. Negotiations notably broke down between the parties involved. Some tenants were not satisfied with the temporary accommodation offered to them, while the rent increase that will be imposed on them upon their return to their accommodation at Manoir Lafontaine would also be the subject of discussions.
“I can’t wait for this to be resolved. [le déménagement]. The sooner we’ll leave, the sooner we’ll be able to come back, ”says a tenant of the building who asked not to be named because the upcoming agreement includes a confidentiality clause. “It’s not settled until people are satisfied. It has to be a general agreement because everyone has to leave for there to be work,” she adds.
Asked by The duty, the tenants’ lawyer, Alexandre B. Romano, was cautious in his comments, since an agreement has not yet been concluded between the tenants and the owners in this file. “I don’t know if it’s over, but there are serious discussions,” he said. “The goal is to be able to establish an agreement allowing tenants to return to their accommodation”, but the negotiations are “very complicated”, he adds.
“financial interests”
Jeremy Kornbluth, who oversees the company that manages this building with investor Brandon Shiller, simply said by email to To have to work “actively to find a solution between the parties” with a view to an agreement. “We are very grateful to have the cooperation of the tenants and their representatives,” he says.
The “financial interests” for the owners of this building to reach an agreement with the tenants still in place are however obvious, in the opinion of lawyer Alexandre B. Romano. The duty has also noted, by consulting the Quebec land register, that the owners of this building took out a $15 million loan for this address in 2019, at an interest rate of 25%.
Thus, in this case, “everyone has an interest in negotiating in good faith to find a solution that goes off the beaten track”, analyzes Alexandre B. Romano.