A public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 19 on the proposed demolition of the historic Michel-Robillard House, with a local resident urging the community to attend and speak out about the future of the municipally-owned heritage property.
The demolition committee will hold the hearing 6:30 p.m. at the Harpell Centre, 60 Rue Saint-Pierre. The hearing follows a public notice issued by the Town of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue on Aug. 4.
The house, located at 20345 Ch. Ste-Marie, has heritage status and has been the subject of a demolition application since 2023. Municipal council adopted a resolution in July 2023 that served as an application for a certificate authorizing the demolition.
A demolition committee public meeting was held Sept. 6, 2023, but no decision was rendered. The town says the file has now been resubmitted to the committee for a decision.
The upcoming hearing gives interested members of the public an opportunity to be heard. Under Quebec’s Act respecting land use planning and development, the demolition committee must consider objections before ruling on the application at a subsequent public meeting.
In a Facebook post alerting residents to the hearing, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue resident Ryan Young urged those concerned about the town’s heritage to attend.
“There is an important public demolition committee meeting coming up,” Young wrote, urging residents to “ask why the majority of the city council wants to see the demolition of this historic building.”
Young argues the house is significant not only to Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue but to Montreal and Quebec more broadly. He also points to the town’s previous efforts to preserve it.
According to Young, extensive consultations in 2012 involving residents, community institutions, and partner organizations resulted in an agreement that the town should restore the house and have it recognized as a heritage property. The municipality subsequently designated the house as a heritage building in 2014, with the designation confirmed by Quebec’s Ministry of Culture and Communications.
Young also notes that the town eventually purchased the property for $60,000 in 2018 after a lengthy legal battle stemming from an earlier attempt to expropriate it.
The property’s location, he argues, adds to its potential value. The house sits across from the REM station and near a large nature park with trails and cycling paths.
“What is the rush?” Young asks in his post, arguing that there is no immediate development planned for the site and that demolition would permanently erase part of the community’s history.
He also questions why the demolition notice was issued during the summer construction holiday, and argues residents should have more opportunity to discuss possible future uses for the property.
The town’s notice says written objections and comments must be submitted to town clerk Caroline Plourde within the prescribed 10-day period following publication of the notice, or, if later, the posting of the notice on the building.
The Aug. 19 hearing is open to anyone interested in the future of the heritage property. n