Montreal family faces expropriation of longtime home for Metro ventilation
Ly family says compensation falls far below market value, doesn't know where to turn
After 40 years in the same house, a Montreal family is being kicked out by the city's public transit agency.
The Ly family's land is being expropriated so their home can be replaced by a new ventilation station that would serve the Metro's Orange line.
The family has until January to leave, but they're not sure where to go. They've been offered considerably lower than market value in the midst of a housing crisis.
"My mom and my father, they are very sad because we have been living here for 40 years," said Trivy Ly. "This is the first house they bought since we came to Canada."
On Nov. 12, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) presented its plan to build the ventilation station on the Ly family's property, located on Bellechasse Street between De Chateaubriand Avenue and De Saint-Vallier Street in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie.
The transit service argues it's necessary to replace the aging and underperforming facility between Beaubien and Rosemont stations.
STM has legal right to take people's property
The STM studied nine other locations nearby, including its own properties, but the Ly family home was chosen as the ideal location for the project.
The STM has the legal power to expropriate any property necessary for the purposes of the Metro, said spokesperson Amélie Régis in a statement.
Expropriation procedures must be initiated prior to the work authorization process provided for in Section 158.3 of the Act Respecting Public Transit Authorities, she said, and this process is independent of the acquisition process.
It provides for a public consultation by an independent commission after publishing a notice in the newspaper and posting this notice on the land to be worked on at least seven days before the public consultation. The commission's report is then submitted to the agglomeration council, she explained.
"The expropriation process has begun and is not over. We will ensure that citizens are kept informed of the situation as it evolves," Régis said.
The Ly family said they were initially offered about $700,000, but then, after analyzing the building, the STM dropped the offer to $570,000 — in a borough where condos can sell for more than that.
"At first, with $696,000, we were really aware that we could not find nothing in this neighbourhood, and now for even less, it's impossible," said Ly.
Neighbours rally, organize petition
The demolition is scheduled for fall 2026. The work will take three-and-a-half years and could include explosives.
This project will involve building and installing the new mechanical ventilation station to ensure proper air flow in the Metro below ground, the STM says on its website.
This will require a zoning change, and before presenting the project to the city and requesting that change, the STM hired an independent commission to lead a public consultation. This is so community members would have the chance to express their opinions on this new project, the STM says.
The commission will collect the community's comments and suggestions to prepare its report, the agency says.
But neighbours are already worried about the noise that the project will create. Tristan Desjardins Drouin lives nearby. He started a petition opposing the project and the expropriation.
"They've been working on that for at least six years and they consulted us last week," he said. "We have three weeks to know everything about the project without all the details."
On Dec. 3, there will be another meeting where residents can express concerns and opinions.