Seniors in Montreal’s Ahuntsic neighbourhood are worried they're going to lose their bocce club after the borough's mayor told them the lease for the space is too expensive.
The Acadie Bocce Club has been around for more than 20 years, and many of its members call it a second home, where they can see friends and get some exercise.
Bocce is a popular Italian game which, when played, looks like a combination of bowling and curling. When members found out their club could soon be gone, they were devastated.
“After a long pandemic, she decided to take away what keeps us active, physically and mentally: bocce,” said club coordinator Cecilia Fazioli.
The borough rents the building for $211,000 per year, and its mayor says that’s just too much -- while 450 people use the club, only about half play bocce.
“What we give to the bocce [space] is $1,000 per year, per person,” said Borough Mayor Emilie Thuillier.
“There are a lot of people bowling, playing cricket and other sports,” she added. “The borough doesn’t pay for this.”
The borough told members of the bocce club they could use a room in another community centre, where they could play bingo and cards, but not bocce.
Community leaders and opposition councillors are calling on the borough to reconsider.
“It’s not playing cards that they want, it’s playing bocce,” said Opposition Councillor Effie Giannou.
Among the supporters of the club's position is federal MP Melanie Joly, who represents the riding in Ottawa. She sent a letter of support.
“Those people built Montreal, those people work all their life for Montreal. So is that the way to say thank you to our senior citizens?” asked Chantal Rossi, another opposition city councillor.
“When you reach a certain age,” added Opposition Councillor Giovanni Rapana, “loneliness is the number one enemy. This place prevents that.”
“The borough is changing and we have to look [at] equity,” said Mayor Thullier.
Opposition councillors say they won’t give up the fight, but the mayor says her decision is final, and that if the seniors want to keep their club, they need to find their own way to finance it.
