JOHN JANTAK
The 1019 Report

After almost a decade of starts, stops and legal wranglings, construction of what is being described as one of the largest Islamic centres in Quebec is now set to move forward in Dollard des Ormeaux.

The Islamic Centre West Island, a mosque that will serve as a Muslin prayer centre and community event space, received the green light last month from Dollard municipal council, which voted to suspend its legal proceeding against the non-profit centre after reaching an agreement with the organization.

The organization has launched a $2.5-million fundraising campaign to help finance the project.

The project is moving forward after Dollard des Ormeaux council adopted a motion April 9 to suspend the city’s legal proceedings against the organization after an agreement was signed between both parties.

The issue goes back more than 10 years when the Islamic centre signed a contract with the city in 2013 regarding the transfer of a vacant lot for the project.

The city then issued a construction permit for the mosque in June 2015. But three years later, in June 2018, the project had yet to be completed.

In fact, construction of the building had stalled. According to the minutes of the April 9 Dollard council meeting, the site had been left for an extensive period with just an open foundation. The project had been stopped due financial reason, the town claimed.

The municipality at that time launched legal proceedings, citing that the Islamic Centre West Island had failed to construct the building within the delays outlined in the deed of exchange that provided for the transfer of title to the lot.

Both the town and the organization subsequently entered into negotiations to resolve their dispute and to allow the Islamic centre to complete the mosque.

This led to an agreement in 2019 to suspend proceedings, according to which the organization would be allowed to complete the construction of the proposed building subject to a number of conditions. But that timeline was interrupted by delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2023, the town issued the organization another permit to allow completion of the exterior of the building. Officials with the Islamic centre are expected to submit an application for subsequent permits to then proceed with the third and final phase of the building with the aim of completing it later this year.

Officials at the centre could not be reached for comment.

The mosque is being built on a 50,000-square-foot lot in an industrial sector of the municipality, on Montrose Street north of Brunswick Blvd. The main floor will include 10,000 square feet of space, with an additional 5,000-square-foot community hall in the basement.