Back to square one for the Montreal Seniors Bocce Club? – Montreal
Efforts to save a beloved petanque club in Ahuntsic-Cartierville hit a snag, as opposition Ensemble Montreal mayors from two neighboring boroughs rejected the idea of sharing the building’s rental costs.
“Yes, we have to find a solution and this solution comes from Ahuntsic-Cartierville,” reasoned the mayor of the borough of Saint-Laurent, Alan de-Sousa, during a press conference with his counterpart from Montreal- North, Christine Black, to announce their decision.
« It’s a local problem, serving local people. »
The borough mayor, Émilie Thuillier, a member of Projet Montréal, decided earlier this year not to renew the lease of more than $200,000 of a building that houses the club.
She argued that it was too expensive.
Read more:
City of Montreal makes proposal it says will save local petanque club
When residents and members of the Club de pétanque d’Ahuntsic-Cartierville reacted with outrage, the borough proposed Monday that the lease be split between three boroughs where they say the club members live, with the club making up the balance.
“We are asking each borough, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Montreal-Nord and Saint-Laurent to put $60,000 each over a period of five years to save the club,” the municipal councilor of Projet Montreal Ahuntsic- Cartierville, Jerome Normand.
For DeSousa, that reasoning doesn’t make sense, saying non-residents use his borough’s facilities.
“In Saint-Laurent, we welcome [people] wherever they come to use our facilities,” he said. « We’re big boys and big girls, we recognize it’s not just our community. »
Moreover, he specifies, his borough has its own pétanque court.
Now, the members of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville club are back to square one.
Club member Cécile Fazioli believes Ahuntsic-Cartierville should continue to pay the lease.
“Do not distribute it between the three boroughs”, she specified. « They have their problems and I think we should solve ours. »
A defender believes that politics is at the heart of the debate and that the club’s seniors are paying the price.
« I believe that any service for seniors is an essential service, » said Roberto Colavecchio, President of the National Congress of Italian Canadians of Canada.
“I believe that these city officials [must] stop this finger-pointing policy once and for all.
Members of the pétanque club plan to meet soon to discuss next steps.
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