MONTREAL - The City of Montreal is evicting a group of local artists from a building in the Southwest borough as part of plans to rebuild the Turcot Interchange.
The city is demolishing the Class One heritage building on St. Patrick St. to make way for a new public works yard after a vote passed at Monday night's city council meeting.
Not only is it a heritage building, but artists say the community there is irreplaceable.
"There are framers, there woodworkers, booksellers and whatnot. We're all in the same genre of work and it is a supporting environment," said artist Paul Machnik, who has worked there for the past six years.
"It's not something that you can replicate just like that so it's going to be a loss, a true loss."
It's part of series of expropriations to accommodate rebuilding the Turcot Interchange.
"The minister of transport has decided to expropriate our public works yard that is servicing the Southwest borough, so if that wasn't to happen we wouldn't be looking at another location," said city executive committee member Michael Applebaum.
The city, however, didn't take the time to consider other options, argued Projet Montreal city councillor Alex Norris, including a vacant Esso gas station lot down the street.
"It's right nearby, and unfortunately that property was overlooked by Tremblay administration. We believe that was a mistake, so we support the artists and their efforts to stay where they are," he said.
Applebaum said the Esso site is not a viable option.
"When we take a look at the other site, it's a question of an operating business, and the decontamination," he said.
The artists will be offered compensation and help to find new spaces but it won't be the same, said Machnik.
"There's nothing to compare in terms of the lighting and the structure and if we're all dispersed as a group, that can't be replicated," he said.
