Protesters oppose Htel-Dieu hospital becoming condos

Activists and politicians worried about the fate of the Montreals Htel-Dieu hospital are trying to bring the issue to the forefront as the municipal election campaign enters its final stretch,sayingthey do not want the buildingconverted to luxury condominiums.

"We think the Htel-Dieu's future must be planned in harmony with its original vocation,"CSNunionspokeswoman,Dominique Daignault, told Daybreak Montreal's Mike Finnerty.

Several municipal candidates, includingincumbentPlateau-Mont-Royal mayor,LucFerrandez attended a demonstration Saturday outside the Mont-Royal metro station.

"We must negotiate with Quebec. It's the boroughthat has zoning powers. Now is the time for strongnegotiation," saidFerrandez.

So far there are no plans announced to convert the hospital to a condo project,although last Marchthe Montreal University Health Centre (CHUM) adopted a resolutionto sell the building.

Daigneault, who represents the CHUM employees union, said that because $50 million inpublic funds wereinvestedin the building's emergency room over the past 10 years, there is a responsibility to keep the facility in public service, either as a health centre or as social housing.

"If there is a lot of public money that was invested, we say thatHtel-Dieu must stay in public hands," saidDaigneault.

Since Htel-Dieuis located in the historic area of Mont-Royal, any zoning changewill be subject to public consultation, and must be approved by the Ministry of Culture and the City of Montreal.

Quebec has formed a committee to consider the future of the Htel-Dieuand other hospitals which will be vacated when services move to the new $2.5 billionsuperhospital, projected to be completed in 2015.

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Sylvain Villiard, CHUM's Secretary General and Associate Executive Director,said the$50 million wasonly for the facility's upkeep and unrelated to its future use.

"Youve got to understand that we put money into Htel-Dieu because we give services there," said Villiard.

Villiard said no decision has yet been made about the future of the building, though it will involve the publicconsultation office and aninterministerialcommittee.

Daignaultsaid she believes it is important for concerned citizens to make their intentions known now, to ensure the projectmeets the needs of the population

"This is the reason why we want to make an intervention early," saidDaignault. "This is why we are already saying what we want to do."