The Community Education Pavilion (PEC) of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and all the tenant organizations located at 1691, boulevard Pie-IX will have to pack their bags by December 31 due to the significant deterioration of the building. This is what the Center de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) taught them last November, after inspections revealed the degree of dilapidation of the building.
If she was aware that work was needed in the building that her organization has occupied since 1979, the director general of the PEC, Martha Ortiz, was totally surprised by the announcement. “We know that the building is old and that a lot of work had to be done, especially for the insulation, because the windows do not retain heat, she tells Metro. This is why we had requested a meeting with the CSSDM in May 2022 in order to plan the work. At the end of November 2022, the assistant director asked to meet with us and we were happy because we felt that we were heard. But that’s when the CSSDM told us that the repairs would cost too much and that we would be evicted by December 31, 2023, for security reasons.
Not enough time
The CSSDM’s press relations manager, Alain Perron, acknowledges by email that the Center will terminate the lease of the PEC and the various organizations at 1691 Pie-IX Boulevard by December 31, 2023, in order “to ensure that the rented premises are healthy and safe” for the occupants. He recalls the need for major work due to the significant dilapidation of the building, which has been known for several years, and adds that the CSSDM does not have the financial capacity to take charge of its rehabilitation.
But for Ms. Ortiz, the deadline is too short to find a place to move the PEC and the multiple organizations, while the rents are high and the premises large enough to accommodate them are scarcer.
December 2023 is tomorrow! We have a year to prepare for our move, and maybe less, because if the next inspections reveal that the air quality does not meet the standards or that there is too much mold, they will close the building. before the date. Moving an organization like PEC is virtually impossible without losing other smaller organizations that cannot afford space individually.
Martha Ortiz, CEO of PEC
Who owns the building?
The issue of building liability has been raised many times by the PEC. This is why its director general initially called on the CSSDM, which, in return, tried to obtain funding from the highest government authorities, without success. Faced with this impasse, the responsibility for intervening in this file now falls to the Ministère de l’Éducation, so that it can ensure that the necessary work takes place as quickly as possible.
“We are focusing on the renovations of the building, explains Ms. Ortiz. Deputy Alexandre Leduc is involved in the case and informed us after his investigations that the school board has already begun the alienation of the building, that is, its condemnation. The Ministry of Education must seek a solution with us so that we do not find ourselves on the street in a few months, or even tomorrow morning, if the analyzes of the building point to too poor air quality. »
Another possible scenario for the PEC is to acquire the building. This last resort option has been explored by the organization’s board of directors since learning of his possible expulsion. Although a lot of money will have to be invested to repair the building – an amount estimated at $30 million – this alternative would make it possible to maintain the community vocation of the place.
“We are studying this scenario to ensure that the building remains at the service of the community and avoid it becoming a condo building,” explains the general manager of the PEC. We’ve been here for 50 years and we have a huge impact in the neighborhood, so we want to negotiate to stay put.
Note that the CSSDM wants to support the PEC in order to minimize the impacts of this situation and is ready to be a facilitator if the organization decides to acquire the building.
The PEC gets organized
The PEC team has already planned some pressure tactics to draw attention to their problem, in addition to emphasizing the importance of popular education. As such, a press conference will be held on March 20, where the PEC and agencies will take the microphone to lay out a list of demands so they can stay put.
In parallel with this means of pressure, a demonstration will be held on March 31, in front of the Montreal offices of the Ministry of Education, on rue Fullum, to insist on the usefulness and importance of popular education.
“This public action of March 31 is symbolic so that we say loud and clear that we want to maintain our popular education activities at 1691, Pie-IX, supports Ms. Ortiz. We offer all kinds of training, we even have a Fablab, three-dimensional printers and several other tools that people can use as they wish at low cost. Dropouts come here to find new motivations by doing projects that stimulate them. We can’t lose that.”
At the time of this writing, Metro was still awaiting a reaction from the Cabinet of the Ministry of Education.
