A Montreal seniors home owner wants to convert his building into a rental apartment.

But the local government plans to block the attempt.

Kevin Hazout, a local developer who has owned the building since 2021, has announced that Résidence Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden Residence) will close in mid-August, and the building will be converted into an affordable housing development. Hazout told Radio-Canada (the French-language side of CBC) that the closure is due to a staff shortage and his upcoming mortgage renewal.

His financial institution, he told Radio-Canada, does not want to renew the loan if the property is a private seniors residence. Hazout said he was not able to get financing from other lenders or sell the building and he has had difficulty hiring staff and attracting new residents. So, he decided to do a conversion.

However, a local zoning bylaw currently prevents him from doing so.

The property is located in the borough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie near Olympic Stadium. Montreal boroughs have their own mayors.)

François Limoges, the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie mayor, told reporters that the borough will not give Hazout the necessary permits to convert the property.

“We adopted the bylaw because we wanted to end flipping culture that puts vulnerable people in the street,” he said, referring to the practice of buying and selling properties quickly.

Limoges made the comments during a news conference where Montreal officials called on the Quebec government to introduce better housing regulations.

A spokesperson for Hazout later told Radio-Canada that his team had just become aware of the bylaw barring conversions and would proceed with a “closure” and follow up in coming months. Hazout’s team has already contacted the borough, according to Radio-Canada.

Photo: Résidences Québec