Montreal seniors evade eviction from their Mont-Carmel residence

A group of Quebec seniors who were in danger of being evicted from their private seniors’ residence, Résidence Mont-Carmel in downtown Montreal, have won a two-year battle and will remain in their homes.

Back in January of 2022, residents received their eviction letters, as the private seniors’ residence known as an RPA status was being removed. The residence’s owner Henry Zavriyev sent eviction notices shortly after the purchase of the building in December of 2021, whose use he intended to change. The senior residents had six months to leave or stay on as tenants in the building, but with higher rent and no services. They decided to fight back and legally contested the eviction notice.

On March 12 of this year, Zavriyev sent the current residents a letter in which he announced his decision not to evict them as well as maintain all related services.

The owner’s waiver clearly constitutes a victory for the current residents of the residence, who, in a press release, stated: “This victory was obtained thanks to the determination of the residents of Mont-Carmel who collectively took an active part in the struggle and in the solidarity movement which has supported us since the very beginning of this struggle.”

Constance Vaudrin has been living at the residence for the last seven years and has been part of the Save the Mont-Carmel Committee.

“We find it’s a victory, the RPA is going to keep going and there will be no more eviction notices. But I mean, this is not enough,” she said. “This is not complete to us. We still have questions about: How is he going to do that? How is he going to give us better services?”

She’s among the 47 residents refused to give up their RPA unit and took legal action against the owner.

“There was a group of people that knew one another here for a few years,” she said. “So we got together and we said, ‘No, we’ve got to react to that.'” 

Many seniors did leave within six months of the notice, alleging they were told they would have to pay higher rent and have no services if they stayed. As a result, 110 apartments were vacated.

“Most of them left under pressure,” Vaudrin said. “Some of them have wanted to come back, but they were refused, and still some people want to come back. So we will see to that. We will see that these people are are taken into account that they’re not forgotten.”

In January 2024, CityNews spoke to some of the seniors that were in shock at the owner’s decision to evict them.

Suzanne Cyr and Daniel Bergeron were among those who fought the eviction and wanted to make sure this doesn’t happen to other seniors.

“The way they did it is just unacceptable,” said Bergeron back in January. “You just don’t throw old people on the street that have nowhere else to go.”

The two never thought they would be told to leave Mont-Carmel, which they described as “paradise.”

A battle that continues for many seniors

The owner in the meantime, in an email response to CityNews, explained the reasons for his change of heart.

“We understand and recognize that the announcement of the conversion of the residence into an apartment building, in February 2022, raised concerns and strong reactions from several residents,” said Zavriyev in a written statement. “Their concerns, combined with an assessment of the entire file, made us review our approach and motivate our decision.”

He added that his team is fully committed to continuing to offer services adapted to the needs of residents, while respecting their comfort and safety.

“The voices of residents have been heard,” he said. “We want to find together a way to restore the climate of serenity which has, quite unintentionally, been undermined over the last two years.”

Meanwhile, residents say they plan to continue seeking damages for the reduction of services and the increase in rent over the last two years.

“This is something we’re going to keep on doing, we’re going to fight for what we want,” Vaudrin said.

Montreal mayor wants to prevent these kinds of evictions

Quebec seniors, however, remain vulnerable and as the housing crisis continues many will have to continue fighting for their rights and their dignity in their old age.

More than 2,500 Quebec seniors were evicted from their private seniors’ residences known as RPAs between 2022 and 2023, according to a report by Quebec’s retiree association (AQRP).

Many, like Vaudrin, are calling on the Quebec government to stop this. “To change the legislation and saying that these should exist but their vocation cannot be changed,” she said.

Back in January, responding to news of another eviction in Rosemont targeting seniors, Montreal mayor Valerie Plante expressed her dissatisfaction and said she wanted to work with the provincial government to prevent these kinds of conversions.

“I was very upset,” she said of her reaction when she found out.

“I think anytime a promoter does a flip, which means you take people out of their apartment, house or residence to turn it into something else, it’s a disaster,” Plante said.

“We’re talking about elders and the last thing we should be looking at as a society is elders having no option and searching for a roof.”

Plante says the situation is unacceptable and wants to see stricter regulations at the provincial level.

“The city and most of all the boroughs have limited power, we decided to take action and to put bylaws but of course there has to be a team effort.”