CDN community groups recently held a press conference to reiterate their position concerning the future development of the former Blue Bonnets site.
They are asking the City of Montreal, which owns the land, to commit to building at least 2500 social housing units, which they have been requesting since 2005, on the 43-hectare site.
The community groups are taking part in public consultations, hoping to share their vision. Jennifer Auchinleck, from the Côte-des-Neiges CDC, says that these units are needed to satisfy the current needs of Côte-des-Neiges tenants. Denise Belec, from the Organisation d’éducation et d’information logement de Côte-des-Neiges (OEIL CDN), says that more than 4000 households are spending at least 80% of their income on rent, and close to 8000 are spending at least half of their income on rent.
They are also concerned about the health risks related to the presence of significant amounts of vermin and mould, such as asthma and other serious respiratory problems.
According to the community groups, problems with squalor are very common in their neighbourhoods. They quoted a 2011 study published by Public Health which reported that mould and excessive moisture problems were present in 38.4% of homes with children aged from 6 to 12 years on the CLSC territory of CDN.
