There is no "demolition derby" in Mount Royal

At the last public meeting of the Demolition Review Committee, held on July 3, resident Ann Streeter claimed that the Town of Mount Royal Administration currently has a systematic process to encourage the demolition of private homes—a “demolition derby” to use her exact phrase. As a Town councillor and chair of the Demolition Review Committee, I feel obliged to respond to this accusation and to point out certain facts.

The Town’s administration places enormous value on our community’s built heritage. It is one of our greatest assets and we have every intent of working to maintain and protect it. That said, some homes do not stand up well to the passage of time and eventually become structurally dangerous and even potentially harmful to the health of their occupants. In such cases, common sense must prevail and we are forced to decide, sometimes with sadness, to allow a demolition to go ahead. It then falls to the Planning Advisory Committee (CCU) to ensure that the new building meets Mount Royal’s objectives and criteria and fits harmoniously with its neighbours.

Is a demolition derby taking place in Mount Royal? Absolutely not. Since the current administration took office, we have allowed nine demolitions of private homes to take place, an average of four or five per year. With a total of nearly 5,200 private homes in our town, these demolitions represent 0.1% of all the Town’s dwellings. It is clear that we are very far from a demolition derby and that Ms. Streeter’s claim is unwarranted, groundless and erroneous.

At the same Demolition Review Committee meeting, Ms. Streeter also implied that our community’s architects and promoters are profiting from these demolitions and even go so far as to encourage them. This allegation, a very serious one in my opinion and one that was greeted with a cry of protests from the other citizens attending the meeting, is nothing less than a besmirching of the integrity and professionalism of architects and promoters based in Mount Royal.

It is good for citizens to question the work of elected officials. It is also good for some of officials’ decisions to be called into question. However, I would encourage Ms. Streeter to be better informed before making unwarranted and unfounded allegations, to exhibit more restraint at public meetings and, above all, to refrain from impugning the character of her fellow citizens.

Philippe Roy, Town Councillor