Residents of a Montreal neighborhood are vehemently decrying an ordinance, enforced for the first time in half a century, that now prohibits them from parking vehicles in the driveway in front of their home because the garage has been converted into a room.
“We thought they were sick! We’ve parked the car in our driveway for 50 years. We could hardly believe it,” explains Monique Voyer.
The journal went to Place de Boucherville in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (MHM) neighborhood, where at least 11 owners are going through the same nightmare. In August 2022, they received a notice in the mail that parking in front of their home was illegal.
And that, even if they have parked their car there for decades without any problems.
“We initially thought it was a mistake,” says Ms. Voyer. In the morning when we got the letter, we all went out into the street at the same time and thought about what we were going to do.”
Photo Martin Alari
Monique Voyer, 78, in front of her garage, which has been converted into a small studio and where her son once lived.
Forget old rules
Unfortunately for this 78-year-old Montrealer, this was just the beginning of this saga.
The owners of Place de Boucherville initially received a notice of non-compliance with ordinance 01-275 from the City of Montreal. Since October 31, 1974, the latter has prohibited parking in front of residential buildings, among other things.
Note that most of these owners have converted their garage into a “living room” to expand their home, according to Julie Bellemare, research officer at MHM.
Screenshot from Google Maps
Aerial view of Place de Boucherville street.
“Some of these developments were done illegally without a permit, others with a permit that had the side effect of removing the parking lot. This type of intervention means that the old access roads leading to the garage are non-compliant as the garages no longer exist,” she says.
Julie Bellemare also invites residents of this sector to park for free on the street in front of their houses. But why did the municipality of MHM suddenly decide in favor of this statute, which had been forgotten for decades?
“I’m told we were made aware of the situation following a complaint from the neighborhood,” Ms Bellemare said, without giving further details.
Image provided by Martine Corbeil
letter from the city.
“No Common Sense”
To obtain a vested right, the 11 residents of Place de Boucherville must now prove to the city that the parking lot existed on their property prior to October 31, 1974. That is, the effective date of said law.
“I parked my car at home for almost 30 years and nobody ever told me anything. It makes no sense. Most of the garages, like ours, were renovated and remodeled before we bought the houses in the neighborhood,” denounces Martine Corbeil.
Photo Martin Alari
Martine Corbeil needs her parking space in front of the house because the charging station for her electric car is attached to her house.
And the electric car?
This mother is not yet at the end of her troubles. She and five other neighbors have electric cars that need to be charged using a terminal installed in their home.
“We cannot park our car on the street and charge our electric car with the cable hanging from the sidewalk, that too is illegal. The regulation is obsolete,” Ms. Corbeil drops.
Mayor’s radio silence
Since September 2022, the owners of Place de Boucherville have been asking for an exception or change in regulations. However, the MHM district remains in place and signs.
The Journal has also asked for an interview on this subject with the mayor of the municipality of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Mr. Pierre Lessard-Blais. However, he was not available for our questions on Monday and Tuesday.
Archive photo
Pierre Lessard Blais.
“On the one hand, Valérie Plante’s administration promotes virtue with electromobility. On the other hand, by changing this statute to ensure the success of the energy transition, we are not helping the citizens,” criticizes Julien Hénault-Ratelle, councilor for the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district.
Mr Hénault-Ratelle recalled that this case could serve as an example. According to him, hundreds of apartments have illegal parking spaces like those on Place de Boucherville in Montreal.
Photo courtesy of Ensemble Montreal
Julien Henault Ratelle.
What is the famous regulation 01-275?
- Ban on parking in front of houses
- Exception: Only apartments with access to a functional garage can park in front of it
- Effective October 31, 1974 and introduced by Mayor Jean Drapeau
- If the parking space existed before October 31, 1974, it is an acquired right
Source: City of Montreal
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