‘This building is like a black hole’: Tenants still in limbo after emergency evacuation in the Plateau-Mont-Royal

Several Montreal tenants remain uncertain about their housing after being forced out due to the risk of a nearby building collapsing.

Several tenants in Montreal’s Plateau-Mont-Royal borough are still scrambling to figure out where they’ll sleep next, days after their buildings were evacuated due to fears another structure could collapse.

On Friday, firefighters were called to 5992 Avenue du Parc, a building already flagged as unstable by the city. A perimeter was set up near the corner of Parc and Van Horne, in front of the residential unit and the two adjacent buildings.

“This building is like a black hole—everything around it is getting sucked in,” said Sumeet Dhatt, a tenant in one of the neighbouring buildings forced to leave.

The McGill economics graduate student was staying with family in Toronto when he got the news that his building was being cleared out—with no warning.

“I’m not feeling that hopeful at the moment that we’ll be able to return to grab more belongings,” he said. “It seems to me like the city knows it’s dangerous—it’s literally collapsing and it’s forcing people out of their homes—but they’re not planning on doing anything. That baffles me.”

Dhatt has lived in his two-bedroom apartment for nearly two years. He shares the $1,750 rent with a roommate and says he was just starting to feel settled.

“I love the area and I’ve really gotten attached to that building,” he said. “But if people like me are at risk, then [the city] needs to act. They should’ve done something a long time ago.”

According to the borough, the structure at 5992 Avenue du Parc had already been under surveillance for months. The city approved its demolition in April 2024, but the building still remains. The dozens of residents living there were evacuated last March, their leases have since been terminated and they were forced to find new homes.

Part of an exterior wall on the building collapsed in March this year, prompting temporary evacuations. Borough officials said at the time that the structure was too dangerous to enter, and its condition has continued to deteriorate since.

When the Montreal fire department (SIM) inspected the site again last week, after a resident reported seeing bricks falling off, a new emergency evacuation was triggered—this time affecting residents in the neighbouring buildings as well.

Several tenants told CTV News they had no time to gather their things.

“One second I was in my apartment, and then there were two firefighters just bursting into my room saying, ‘You need to leave right now,’” said Christian MacDonald. “I was told to pack everything I’d need for the night. I just grabbed some clothes, my toothbrush… and left.”

He said he’s worried about what will become of his belongings, and when—if ever—he’ll be able to access them again.

Firefighters allowed residents inside to retrieve some belongings Monday evening, but some residents missed this short window of time.

Dhatt couldn’t make the trip from Toronto in time, but friends were able to collect a few of his essentials, including his passport and some music gear. “We just had this one chance,” he said. “And there wasn’t really much notice for that either.”

Others, like Alex Casey, were caught off guard by the evacuation, and the opportunity to retrieve belongings was just too little, too late.

“I was supposed to leave the country in a few days, but my passport was inside,” said Casey. “I had no real time to gather anything [Friday evening].”

Casey says the borough has kept promising demolition is imminent, but no work has started.

“We keep being told it’s going to be three days, but then we come back three days later, and nothing’s been touched. There hasn’t been a single worker around,” he said.

In a statement to CTV News, Plateau-Mont-Royal spokesperson Francis Huot said the borough will move ahead with the demolition if the building’s owner fails to act soon.

“The demolition of the building, which should have been completed by its owner, will be carried out as soon as possible after obtaining an engineer-approved plan,” Huot wrote. “We are in communication with the property administrators so that the owner fulfills his obligations without delay. If not, the borough will take the necessary legal steps to ensure public safety.”

Dhatt said that while his landlord has been helpful in communicating updates and advocating for access, city officials have provided little in the way of answers—or support.

“For the first 72 hours after the evacuation, they tell you to reach the Red Cross,” he said. “But really, there’s only real help for three days. After that, you’re left on your own.”

Marie-Josée Laquerre is among those tenants brought to a hotel by the Red Cross on Friday. But once the 72 hours passed, she was left to make other arrangements on her own.

“It was so disturbing to be forced out of my place like this,” she said. “I’d give anything to go back home,”

She says she’s hoping for one thing: that the unstable building is finally torn down so tenants can move forward.

“It’s so dangerous and the city has said they would do something, but nothing’s happened yet,” added Laquerre.

Dhatt agrees that the only way out of limbo is action.

“I think the biggest thing the city could do is actually tackle what’s causing the problem,” he said. “Demolish that building or take care of it however they see fit. Not even just for the people living there—for public safety overall.”