A Montreal borough objects to a man with multiple sclerosis installing wheelchair lift
When Claude Varin wants to leave his first-floor apartment on Christophe-Colomb Ave. in Montreal, each and every step requires a lot of strength.
He suffers from multiple sclerosis, a degenerative illness for which there is no cure.
He needs a lift for his wheelchair to get to street level to leave his home and access adapted transport.
"The future looked simple," said Varin. “I was eligible for a grant that would have allowed me to have a mechanical lift in front of the building."
However, the Rosemont-Petite-Patrie borough objected, saying it is a heritage neighbourhood, and the outdoor mechanical lift would not fit in.
The building he lives in belongs to his sister-in-law, and was built in the 1950s.
"This isn't heritage," he said. "The buildings have no architectural value and they're all from different eras."
He pointed to a variety of old and recent constructions next to a gas station on Rosemont Blvd.
The borough told Varin he could have his lift at the back of the building, which he said was an impraticable solution.
"I would have roughly 140 metres of ice and snow on an uneven surface," he said, noting that the alley behind the building isn’t cleared as well as the street and sidewalks in front of his house.
The city’s adapted transport buses also do not pick up or drop off clients.
"Out front, adapted transport picks me up right at my door," he said.
Varin said he tried mediation with outgoing mayor François-William Croteau, but it failed, as the city would only offer him financial compensation and stick to the alley option.
He eventually took his case to the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal, but his case was rejected because he waited too long before filing his demand.
The tribunal did note in its judgment that the borough did not handle the file particularly well.
Through a spokesperson, the borough mayor declined a CTV request for an interview.
Mobility advocates say Varin is clearly facing discrimination.
"It seems we're talking about some kind of heritage building?" asked Steven Laperriere, from the disabilities advocacy group RAPLIQ. "What is exactly the definition of a heritage building that should prevail over one person with disability rights?”
Currently, Varin depends on his partner to get around, but realizes that once he can't walk anymore, she won't be able to carry him up and down the stairs.
"I'm already exhausted by all of this," said Manon Verhelst. "I have no energy left for myself."
Varin says he won't move.
All he sees now is a time when he'll be a prisoner in his own home, on top of being a prisoner of his own body.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'