STM considers alternative site for ventilation station, offering hope to Rosemont family facing expropriation

Trivi Ly holds his expropriation documents sent from the Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) as he poses outside the duplex he shares with his family in Montreal, Thursday. Ly's family home is being expropriated by the STM to build a subway ventilation station. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi)

There is still hope for a family in Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie facing the expropriation of their home by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) for a new mechanical ventilation station, as the agency now says it is considering an alternative site.

“We are currently in discussions with the SQI (Quebec infrastructure society) to assess the possibility of reconsidering a site on the grounds of the Chambre de la jeunesse, at the corner of Bellechasse and Saint-Vallier,” the STM said in a statement.

The Ly family has been living in their duplex located on Bellechasse Street since 1983. Trivi Ly, who lives in the home with his elderly parents and sister, managed to secure a two-month extension to stay in the house until the end of January.

Initially, they had a deadline of mid-November to vacate the premise.

The agency added that in 2021, SQI rejected the possibility of using the Chambre de la jeunesse site.

“It may very well be that, in the long run, the analyses will not be conclusive and that 530-532 rue de Bellechasse (the current site) remains the best option for building the mechanical ventilation station.”

Ly told CTV News that the family received a $569,000 offer from the STM.

“We can almost say it's impossible to find something that we can afford with that amount unless you were buying something to demolish and to rebuild completely,” he explained.

Residents in the neighbourhood said they found out about the project on Nov. 12 and have rallied behind the family. A petition on change.org to stop the STM reached nearly 2,900 signatures as of Friday afternoon.

Construction for the ventilation station that will serve the Orange Line is expected to begin in the fall of 2026 and last until 2030.

“The need to build the mechanical ventilation station remains a priority for the smooth operation of the metro, and construction of this station will begin as soon as the next round of funding is received,” the agency said.

The STM is holding another public information session on Dec. 3.

With files from Olivia O’Malley and The Canadian Press.