Outremont wants to change a zoning bylaw to ban new places of worship in its commercial district, and is preparing for a public consultation on the controversial proposal Tuesday night.
The borough wants to ban other places of worship from setting up shop in the commercial district on Bernard St. and Laurier Sts.
Future religious spaces would be forced into the outer edge of the borough, near Van Horne and Durocher Aves.
“It's ghettoizing all future places of worship. I mean is that really what we want in Outremont, in Montreal, in 2015?” said borough councillor Mindy Pollak.
The bylaw was introduced at a special borough meeting two weeks ago. Pollak, Montreal's first female Hasidic Jewish councillor, was the only councillor to vote against it.
“It goes against all the principles of integration of society,” she said.
When questioned by CTV News at the last meeting on Nov. 16, the Outremont Mayor Marie Cinq-Mars said, “I'm not sure the cohabitation between the [place of worship] and different shops is the best thing to do. So we're going forward with that.”
More than 700 people have signed an online petition supporting the borough's plans.
In a phone interview, the man who started the petition told CTV places of worship don't belong on commercial arteries.
“All the rabbis, all the synagogues are very worried about this issue,” said Rabbi Israel Cremisi of the Congregation Tzhoar, adding that some members of the Hasidic Jewish community feel they're being targeted.
“We have a history. We've already lived that in the past. That's why it's very hard for us to listen to this kind of option for the Jewish community.”
