SNJMs Support Seniors’ Right to Secure Housing   

The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) recently endorsed the collective letter prepared by the Sauvons le Mont-Carmel committee, calling on the Quebec government to intervene in the current renoviction crisis, which is particularly affecting private residences for the elderly (RPAs).

This collective letter underscores the urgency and power of government action. The letter mentions the struggle waged by Mont-Carmel residents during the past three years, and the victories they have achieved through the legal system. In particular, the most recent one whereby the owner’s company was sanctioned to pay over $200,000 in contempt of court fines (see note below).

The Committee received a great deal of support throughout its legal battles.

The few victories achieved throughout the years, do not erase the difficulties experienced on a daily basis by residents at Mont-Carmel and many other RPAs in Quebec, particularly in terms of safety.

It is against this backdrop that the signatories of the collective letter are calling for decisive action in favor of the elderly. “It’s high time your government used its power of intervention to put an end to the denial of rights to seniors living in RPAs.”

The claims aim to:

• Implement obligations linked to RPP certification
• Facilitate the appropriation and community or public management of any RPA liable to closure or in default of its obligations.
• Support the City of Montreal’s ongoing efforts to use its right of pre-emption to remove the Mont-Carmel residence from the private market. Whatever the current political and economic conditions, the signatories of this collective letter insist on the need for government intervention in Quebec to adequately address the housing rights of seniors. At the same time, they emphasize that the solidarity movement around the core group of Mont-Carmel residents “is not about to give up!”