After 2 fatal fires, Old Montreal residents call for improved building inspections

After two fatal fires that killed nine people in the last 18 months, some residents in Old Montreal say they no longer feel safe and are calling on the city to improve building inspections.

The historic district is filled with heritage buildings but some who live there are worried their homes may not be safe.

At Monday's city council meeting, resident Ludovic Peronet said his family is afraid to stay there. They live next to the building on Notre-Dame Street that burned down earlier this month, killing Léonor Geraudie, 43, and her seven-year-old daughter, Vérane Reynaud-Geraudie, who were French nationals.

Two people have been arrested and are facing criminal charges.

In 2023, a major fire also destroyed another heritage building nearby that was owned by the same person. That fire left seven people dead, including tourists who had rented rooms on Airbnb.

Peronet is part of the association of Old Montreal residents. The group wants to see new, stricter regulations around converting heritage buildings in the neighbourhood into inns or rooming houses.

It's calling for a moratorium on issuing permits in these cases until the building code can be updated.

Robert Beaudry, the executive committee member responsible for urban planning, said the fire department is focused on inspecting the oldest buildings and ones known to have construction problems.

In 2023, fire inspectors went on a blitz, inspecting more than 500 buildings in Old Montreal and other parts of the city.

"We've seen stuff like doors held open, doors that don't close properly," said Robert Rousseau, fire prevention division chief for the Montreal fire service.

He said they found nearly 3,000 infractions over a six-month period. When inspectors returned, most of the issues had been corrected, while others faced charges.

"I could tell you we recommended over 1,000 infractions to be prosecuted," Rousseau said.

The fire department says it is now including blitzes as part of its regular operations.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante points out the provincial government is responsible for changing the building code but she'd like to start a discussion with the province.