Stephanie Valenzuela

Future uncertain for Wilderton lot slated for social housing

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

Anybody who has looked at the redevelopment of the Wilderton shopping centre into a mixed-use residential commercial development can’t help but notice the dramatic transformation, but also the lingering empty lot on the eastern edge of the property.

Originally slated for some 20 social housing units, the developer of the property owned by First Capital dropped the plan to build and opted instead to pay $420,000 into the city’s housing fund.

At July council, Darlington councillor Stephanie Valenzuela asked what the plan was. “I would like to have a follow-up on what is happening now with the lot.” Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa steered the question to borough director Stéphane Plante, who replied that “the promoter decided to pay the sums rather than go with a lot because the financial package was too difficult. I’m telling you this with all reservations, because I have to check, but the last information we had was for this purpose.”

That entire project was approved in 2016 and was supposed to be three phases: a seniors’ residence; a commercial and residential development; and a phase of social housing. A nearby plot of land was donated to the city, but the social housing on-site was nixed. “My assumption is that they never found a proper organization to take control of the project,” says Valenzuela, adding “they were likely also counting on funds from the province which never came and opted instead to just pay into the fund.”

The borough finally did confirm that the developer made a financial contribution “as it was unable to carry out a social housing project on the site due to a lack of funding from the provincial government.” The borough did not say what the plans were for the site. First Capital did not respond to requests for comment before press time.

As of year-end 2023, there was more than $15 million in the city’s social housing fund comprised of contributions from builders who opt out of Montreal’s mixed metropolis bylaw adopted three years ago. Earlier this year the city announced that it was easing up on its vaunted 20-20-20 rule, which obliges developers to include social, affordable and family housing in their projects. The city instituted some temporary changes to the rules, including boosting compensation to developers for land transfers to the city for such purposes, and payments into the fund in lieu of building will be frozen for two years. Also, smaller projects — 20 households or less — are exempt from the contribution and affordable housing obligation. n

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CDN residents want action on vermin

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

Jeffrey Weinstein says he first saw a few mice scurrying through his dining room. Then “families” of them cruising through bedrooms. He caught eight but figures up to two dozen may live rent-free in his Wilderton apartment.

He says his landlord, TMR-based property management and brokerage company Harbor Realties, is unresponsive, and some other residents in the connected buildings at 6525 Wilderton and 6280 Northcrest told The Suburban they agree.

He felt further stymied by 311, saying it took several weeks for the borough to act due to repeated communication snafus. In April an inspector visited his apartment. “He said he’d return to do a whole building inspection and inform the landlord to get an exterminator or the city will impose fines… When I followed up with the borough, I got nothing… I think they’re not being transparent and they’re stonewalling.”

Darlington city councillor Stephanie Valenzuela told him CDN-NDG is short-staffed with only 12 inspectors for 500 inspections and the property was flagged to her in late 2022 for rodents, cockroaches “and really poor conditions in general.” She says inspectors are sent but owners don’t act because infractions are an insufficient deterrent. “Lately we’ve seen a little bit of movement in terms of complaints, but the issue’s been around for a while.” Valenzuela says when inspectors visit, “they ask the landlord to bring in an exterminator who only exterminates that unit, displacing the problem to neighbours.”

The Suburban asked Loyola councilor Despina Sourias, Montreal’s point-person for housing and cleanliness, about the delay. Borough advisor Ezra De Muns responded, saying if rodents are present after the latest inspection, “a second statement of offence will be issued to the landlord, this time with a more substantial fine.” Visits will be repeated about every two weeks until the city’s Housing Department intervenes. (Sanctions include upscaling fines up to $20,000 per repeat infraction, and having work performed and billing landlords.) De Muns says the delay is because there are files at both borough and city levels due to the number of issues.

Valenzuela says since changing ownership three to four years ago, “the property has gone downhill, and they show little interest fixing issues, and seem to be waiting for people to leave so they can hike rents.” She says “residents who can afford to, move out, and those who can’t, well they’re waiting them out. It seems like they’re engaging in renovictions.”

The Suburban asked Harbor Realties what they did in response to the complaints, and if they are engaging in renoviction. Ian Mirescu responded that the allegation is “totally unfounded” and “there is no such thing as renovictions going on in our building.”

He says the city sent a non-conformity notice for extermination, adding tenants did not contact the landlord about the issue but went directly to the city. He provided a city request for four units out of a total 183. Mirescu then named another tenant with a bedbugs issue that has been treated twice. “We have no other such cases. The exterminator was clear that the problem is coming from him.” He alluded to said tenant’s attempt to extort owners with media coverage and cautioned The Suburban against publishing “sensational” and inaccurate material.

Weinstein and his neighbours met with Mont-Royal–Outremont MNA Michelle Setlakwe about the issue, are opening a file at the Tribunal administratif du logement, and a tenant meeting with Valenzuela is planned.

Last month, the city announced $3 million for preventative inspections and $1.5 million for tenant organizations. A recent pilot project inspected 91 large buildings and 1,000 health violations were detected in 13 of them. The city pledges to perform preventative inspections of 8,000 buildings in vulnerable neighbourhoods, some 130,000 homes, within five years. n

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Valenzuela calls for 24/7 shelter in CDN-NDG

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

The city needs to end “seasonal optics” and implement a year-long, 24/7 response to growing homelessness in Montreal’s largest borough, says Darlington councillor Stephanie Valenzuela. “We know homelessness has taken a greater space in our city and our province, and unfortunately Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is not isolated from this,” said Valenzuela Friday in Martin Luther King park.

Despite her interventions, “that of residents, with youth who go to school here, and area businesses,” she says the local administration has not shown any interest to do anything beyond test measures. “There hasn’t been a plan in place since the 2021 election; no additional measures put on the ground either to supplement resources or modified financial resources that we can give to local community organizations that work with homelessness.”

Valenzuela and Snowdon councillor Sonny Moroz want the borough to work rapidly with local stakeholders towards a plan with an appropriate location for a permanent shelter, “and not just when it gets cold,” to present to Quebec for financial resources.

She spoke steps from where a stabbing occurred in broad daylight last Wednesday, also steps from the MultiCaf day centre that served as an overnight shelter last winter. As The Suburban revealed in March, that pilot project operated by Prevention CDN-NDG saw overcapacity, material damages, neighborhood vandalism and incivility, consumption in and around the facility, as well as incidents of violence and the death of a 30-year-old woman two weeks after opening. The cause of death, a suspected overdose, remains undetermined, but facility management expressed reservations about the project shortly after launch.

Operated in a nearby church for three years before moving to MultiCaf, the shelter saw 5,785 visits, averaging 47 nightly users says Valenzuela, despite the 25-person limit. “Once the door closes March 31, where does the population go? To public spaces, to the park, which has been experiencing this for at least five years.” She said she has yet to see any progress of Borough Mayor Gracia Katahwa’s promised postmortem on the project.

The Suburban asked Katahwa for comment about the proposal but received no response by press time.

Pointing to tents in the park, Valenzuela said the problem will grow and a plan should “not only ensure compassion and dignity towards the homeless, but a good cohabitation for residents.” That sentiment was echoed by D’Arcy McGee MNA and Quebec’s Official Opposition critic for combatting homelessness Elisabeth Prass, citing Quebec numbers showing a 33% increase in homelessness in Montreal from five years ago. “We’re seeing a new homelessness… people finding themselves on the street because of evictions. There is a new reality post-pandemic; inflation and housing prices that different levels of government have to consider when coming up with policies and responses to this problem.”

Montreal’s policy when tents pop up is to dismantle them says Prass, “but unless you give people somewhere else to go, it’s not a solution, you’re creating a circular problem.” Prass says she raised the issue with Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant “who is familiar with the problem and the neighborhood and agreed that the solution is to have shelters open 365 days, 24/7.” She says the ministry is waiting for the city and CDN-NDG “to deposit a project with a location and organization.”

Valenzuela noted she made “this exact request” for a facility and sufficient upstream resources 15 months ago, “and there has been no subsequent progress on this file,” despite a Projet Montreal pledge “during the 2021 election campaign, to support the implementation of additional emergency housing sites with a rehousing assistance service, year-round, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” n

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Local groups call for action on domestic violence and firearms

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

With each tragic death and case of domestic violence recorded, “we tell ourselves that this is another victim too many and that we must not have one more,” said Darlington councillor Stephanie Valenzuela, spokesperson for the Official Opposition on the status of women. “Today, we are calling on all levels of government to put words into action and strengthen their support, both for victims and for the resources that help them. Each of them has the capacity to act to fight against domestic violence.”

The PolySeSouvient group, the Halte-Femmes Montréal-Nord organization and elected officials from Ensemble Montréal met at Montreal City Hall to call for concrete actions from all levels of government to better protect women, particularly in relation to gun control, knowing that they are present in approximately 25% of cases of domestic violence recorded in the country.

To complete Bill C-21, adopted on December 14, PolySeSouvient representatives want the Trudeau government not only to put strong and comprehensive regulations to expand on C-21, but also to prohibit all assault weapons and large capacity magazines, which was his electoral pledge. In addition, the mandatory buyback program for assault weapons should be deployed as quickly as possible, they say, so that these weapons are removed from circulation and destroyed before the next elections in the fall of 2025. For its part, the provincial government must ensure that the weapons registration rate is higher, in compliance with the Quebec Firearms Registration Act. According to PolySeSouvient estimates, around 30% of long guns are not registered.

At the municipal level, the Plante administration is being called upon to implement the commitments proposed by Ensemble Montréal and unanimously adopted by council in March 2021 and then again in 2022, to alleviate the burden weighing on victims and community organizations. Among the measures that were expected to be implemented quickly include: free provision of available city premises to organizations supporting victims of domestic violence who must juggle a lack of space to offer their consultations due to the occupancy rate; launch of two periodic communications campaigns to encourage all those affected to obtain help, to disseminate contact details of available resources offered to victims and to share contact details for resources dedicated to people with violent behaviour.

“By fighting to protect victims of intimate violence against firearms, we not only ensure the safety of the population,” said Sophie Lemay, general director of the Halte-Femmes Montréal-Nord. “We are helping an entire system which also suffers from the damage caused by violence. The requests made today cover a broad field of action: what we can do to better protect victims of domestic violence and what we can do to support and disseminate the resources that help these victims.”

Firearms are the first or second most used weapon in crimes committed – depending on the year – in the context of domestic violence, says the group. In 2022, calls for service and cases of victimization in the context of domestic violence represented more than 23% of all crimes against the person recorded in Montreal. n

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