Peter-McGill families rally for a district public school bell to ring
Posted September 26, 2025 10:13 pm.
Last Updated September 26, 2025 10:24 pm.
La table de quartier Peter-McGill and families symbolically transformed Montreal’s Cabot Square into an open-air classroom to underscore the need for a public elementary school in the neighbourhood.
According to the community table, the population grew by 26 per cent in the area between 2016 and 2021 —representing more than 45 thousand residents— with 8,605 family households. Yet, nearly one person in three lives below the low-income rate and the area lacks essential public services, including a nearby public elementary school.
“I was here already six, seven years ago for the same kind of event. I’ve been since then asking for a school for my kids. I have two kids. The older one is already in high school,” said Peter-McGill resident and mother, Sabine Philippidès, alongside his youngest son Elias. “It was a long way already at that time. So I came here today to ask again to tell everyone that we need that school.”
Since 2018, residents and local leaders have been calling for public infrastructure, including an elementary school, as they bear the daily impact of real estate and commercial development.
“We’re the one providing the money for the city, for the government and we think our family that lives the impact of all this development, economic and housing also should be the first one to benefit the public services that they need,” said Stéphane Febbrari, director of Peter-McGill Community Table.
Finding a nearby public school is already difficult for parents, and language adds another barrier. Over half of Peter-McGill residents (52 per cent) have a non-official language as their mother tongue.
“I don’t know in the future where school my son will be go to and my future,” said one mother who attended the rally, from China. “Language is my big problem and I hope my son won’t take a long time to go to school.”
While the community is calling on Quebec’s Ministry of Education to listen, Stéphane Febbrari remains hopeful.
“We know that like all fights, all battles takes a long time. We’ve been advocating for a community center for 15 years and now we have it finally, it opened this year […] Common sense always find its way.”
