Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough officials and members of the Comité logement de Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve housing committee are pleased to announce that the Inspectorat project, introduced last fall, yielded positive results. The project was designed to inspect buildings along rue Sainte-Catherine for maintenance and safety issues. The results of Phase 1 of the project were made public today at a press conference.

Building Inspections (exterior)

Phase 1 of the project, which was conducted from October 2010 to January 2011, involved exterior visual inspection of 184 buildings between rue Ville-Marie and avenue Bourbonnière, to make sure they were safe and met standards. Of this number, 85 buildings showed elements in violation of the By-law concerning the sanitation and maintenance of dwelling units.

Several buildings were in bad condition and required immediate action as well as sidewalk or alley closings, to ensure public safety until emergency repairs were carried out. The violations involved mainly building shells in bad condition, masonry work and cornices or flashings that were missing or in need of repair. Notices of correction were sent to the property owners for necessary repairs.

Dwelling Inspections

Visual inspections were carried out on 184 dwellings. Of this number, 68 dwellings were visited inside and, in general, were found to be in good condition. Eight dwellings only were in violation of sanitation or safety regulations. Notices of correction were issued to building owners to bring exits up to code, to make them accessible as well as to repair balconies, railings and unsafe stairs that are in bad condition.

“The program aims at revitalizing the area through actions to improve the quality of our built environment and implement habitability standards, where necessary. Today’s results support our decision to implement the project. The entire process is a step in the right direction that will benefit neighbourhood residents,” said the Mayor of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Réal Ménard.

“The Inspectorat project is part of a series of structuring actions to revitalize rue Sainte-Catherine Est. Incidentally, the PR@M-Commerce program can help owners whose buildings house businesses that are eligible for subsidies to carry out repairs. We must make sure that our built environment meets standards as well as find solutions to help owners meet this objective,” said Hochelaga councillor, Laurent Blanchard.

Phase 1 of the Inspectorat project is now completed and inspectors are entering Phase II, which involves approximately 48 buildings. Phase III will follow with 84 buildings. Inspections should be completed in the spring (end of March for Phase II and end of May for Phase III).

The housing committee’s mission is to examine habitability issues in the borough’s rental housing stock. The committe was created last fall and is made up of borough elected officials, coordinating agents from the borough’s permits and inspections division as well as representatives of the Comité BAILS, Entraide Logement, Info-Logis, Conseil pour le développement local et communautaire d’Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, as well as the CSSS Lucille-Teasdale and Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal. The Direction de santé publique de l’Agence de la santé et des services sociaux (DSP) de Montréal sits of the committee as a consultant.