Montreal invests 5.6 million for the acquisition – by a non-profit organization – of Manoir Lafontaine, a building that has become a symbol of the fight against renovations.
The tower of 90 rental units, located on Parc La Fontaine, in the borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal, should be acquired by the organization Interloge.
On Friday, the executive committee of the City of Montreal voted in favor of a contribution of 5.6 million “for the acquisition and renovation” of the dilapidated building.
“The City is investing in the realization of the project to provide sustainable affordable housing, outside of speculation,” commented Mayor Valérie Plante on Twitter.
Built in 1966, Manoir Lafontaine was bought in 2019 by businessmen Brandon Shiller and Jeremy Kornbluth, who tried to evict the tenants in order to carry out renovations. Many of the residents were paying much lower than market rents because they had been there for decades.
A 2021 expert report from the City of Montreal confirmed the urgency of carrying out work in the building, but the Administrative Housing Tribunal blocked evictions in 2022. “The landlord’s right of ownership does not allow him not to do whatever he wants with his building,” the decision read.
The building was put up for sale last year for 28 million.
