A controversial bylaw that bans new places of worship from opening in Montreal's Outremont borough has been upheld.
Outremont residents voted in a referendum on Sunday.
In total, 1,561 residents voted in favour of keeping the bylaw, while 1,202 voted against it. Just over 60 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.
The bylaw bans new houses of worship, regardless of religion, from opening on Bernard, a major commercial street that’s dotted by stores and restaurants.
Outremont Mayor Marie Cinq-Mars has said the intention of the rule is to protect that space for businesses. Similar bans have already been enacted on Laurier and Van Horne.
Outremont City Councillor Mindy Pollack doesn’t agree that the places of worship affect business.
“If you really believe in that, prove it. Show me a study that says that places of worship are bad for business,” she said.
Twenty-two per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots in advance polls.
Hasidic leaders have said the rule is discriminatory and targets their community by banning new synagogues that could be erected within walking distance of their homes.
The Hasidic community comprises almost 25 per cent of Outremont’s population. They argue it’s important to attend services within walking distance of their homes.
“That's the problem. It's not the synagogue, it's not the business it's not the stores, it's the Jews. They want us out,” said Alex Werzberger of the Coalition of Outremont Hasidic organizations.
Pollak criticized the bylaw, saying there were no advance consultations or studies.
“Very disappointed. It's hard to live in a place with multiple bylaws that target you as a community because of your religion. It's sad,” she said.
She said she felt encouraged by those coming out in support of the 'No' campaign.
"That's been a silver lining in the past few weeks," she said. "People have crawled out of the woodwork and come out to support us. I think the US election has had an effect on this. People are more sensitive to issues like this now and they want to get involved and they want to make things better."
Werzberger said the Hasidic community intends to continue pursuing the matter.
“There's only one more route: the judicial system. Because I have a feeling, and lawyers say so, this is definitely against the constitution, against the Bill of Rights,” he said.
Some in the area expressed mixed feelings on the bylaw ahead of the vote.
“I have neighbours who are French, English, part of the Hasidic community and I have such mixed feelings about it,” said resident Mary Hunter. “We have so many churches who are also just down the road here, so it seems hypocritical to say that we won’t allow Hasidic communities to also have spaces.”
