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The SHDM community includes more than 4,700 tenants. We share here a testimony of one of its members who is a tenant in a building managed for the SHDM by the Société de développement d’habitation communautaire (SODHAC). She shares her life story and talks about her relationship with the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, in which SHDM owns many affordable rental units. Neither community housing, nor luxury housing, SHDM’s rental properties meet the housing needs of more than 8,000 Montrealers and contribute to the diversity and vitality of our neighbourhoods.

Madjiguène lives with two of her children aged 21 and 25 in the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough (CDN-NDG). “I have lived here for almost 20 years,” she explains. We met her during a horticulture workshop offered by the SHDM to its tenants and hosted by Sentier Urbain just a few steps from her apartment, Madjiguène told us her life story, which brings to light her sense of belonging to this neighbourhood that has seen her children grow and spread their wings.

 

Originally from Senegal, she arrived in Montréal in 1994. “I got married in Dakar. My husband came to Montréal first with our oldest child to do his Ph.D. in sports psychology. I joined him about ten years later with our two youngest and our last son was born here. I have two daughters and two sons, now aged 21 to 39,” she says. “We first settled in this neighbourhood a few blocks from here, and then, my husband wanting to live in something bigger, we moved to the outskirts of Montréal. It only lasted a few months because my husband died of a heart attack. As a result of this event, I decided to return to Côte-des-Neiges because it was a familiar environment in which I felt at ease. In 1998, she settled in a SHDM rental housing unit and still lives there nearly twenty years later.

Though fond of her neighbourhood, Madjiguène also enjoys her country of origin on a seasonal basis. “For several years now, I have been going to Senegal for several months to avoid the winter in Québec,” she says with a smile as she calmly prepares to leave her grown-up children in Montréal in a few weeks, the youngest of whom is still studying and lives at home. “My whole family is in Dakar, my mother, my brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts. I am much attached to Senegal, even though I am proud to be a Canadian and love my country of adoption,” she continues. Indeed, Madjiguène’s four children live in Québec, in Montréal, except for her eldest who settled in Joliette. The latter is the father of 5-year-old twins. “They have so much energy at that age!” says Madjiguène, who is definitely a resilient woman with a zest for life.

 

The life of expatriates and immigrants is a fundamental reality for the people of Montréal, especially in the CDN-NDG borough. Indeed, nearly half of the residents of this borough are immigrants and many of its neighbourhoods are known as a host environment for newcomers. “I like this area because we are really in the city. There are different people, different cultures and different lifestyles. It is a very open neighbourhood. There are also the metro, universities, schools, shops,” says Madjiguène. “When my children were little, the neighbourhood was also very lively and family-oriented. I remember, for example, that children came and went from apartment to apartment, visiting each other. A friend of my daughter also came every morning to get my daughter so they could walk to school together,” she adds. Several community organizations are located in the borough to support the highly represented families and immigrants in the area. “The Senegalese community is quite important here and I liked to get involved through different associations. Also, when my children were younger, we attended Le Baobab familial, which is an organization that welcomes families and offers help with homework, daycare and various community activities. The founder, Marie-Rosaire Kalanga, had her hair braided by my daughter who was doing this to earn pocket money!” remembers Madjiguène.

On this International Women’s Day, let us highlight not only the courage of all these single mothers, but also that of all those immigrant women who get involved in their Montréal neighbourhood because they feel at home there.

Our thanks to Madjiguène for her kindheartedness and for agreeing to give this testimony.

Long awaited by the residents of the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough, the inauguration of Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée took place last night. Located at 911 rue Jean-Talon Est, on the ground floor of the Centre Jean-Marie Gauvreau, this new cultural venue now offers a brand new 260-seat theater, a 220 m2 exhibition hall, a mediation room of 60 m2, a large foyer for the reception of visitors and spaces to house administrative offices. For the occasion, an evening tribute to Claude Léveillée was orchestrated and hosted by Monique Giroux. Guests were able to pay homage to this monument of Québec song, who grew up in this Montréal neighbourhood, with musical performances by Catherine Major, Daniel Lavoie, Pierre Flynn, Ingrid St-Pierre and Moran.

“I am proud of this recognition of Claude Léveillée and I am convinced that the new Maison de la culture dedicated to the memory of this great Montréal artist will be a crossroads of inspiring meetings, a place of synergy that will contribute to the cultural vitality of the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough. I also believe that this new venue, in addition to the already diversified cultural offer that is spreading throughout Montréal, will become an indispensable cultural meeting place for all Montrealers” said Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montréal.

Almost $6.4 million were invested in the development of this cultural amenity of which $1.2 million were paid by the borough and $5.1 million by the City’s central administration. Added to this is the investment of the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) as explained by Ms. Nancy Shoiry, Executive Director of the SHDM:

“The inauguration of the Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée is a moment of great pride for our team who took charge of the management of this project for a new cultural venue. As part of this partnership with the City, the SHDM has invested $2.8 million in major works on this heritage building, which it owns, including $2 million specifically for the space dedicated to the Maison de la culture. This contribution demonstrates the significance of the SDHM’s role as a privileged partner of the Ville de Montréal in carrying out projects that contribute to Montréal’s social, cultural and economic development.”

Ms. Giuliana Fumagalli, Mayor of the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough, Ms. Christine Gosselin, responsible for culture, design and heritage on the Executive Committee of the Ville de Montréal, Ms. Isabelle Léveillée, representative of the Claude Léveillée’s family, as well as partners such as the architect of the project, Mr. Éric Gauthier of FABG architectural firm, also took part in this inauguration ceremony.

Montrealers will be able to discover their new Maison de la culture during the open house days that take place as of today and until Sunday, February 25. During their visit, they will also be able to appreciate one of the four luminous installations of Faisceaux d’histoire, a legacy of the 375th anniversary of Montréal created by ATOMIC3, the exterior artwork of artist Claude Lamarche, which has just been restored, as well as a work of art by Julie Favreau, this time installed in the lobby.

For more information, read the press release published by the Ville de Montréal (in French).

The introduction of new mortgage qualification rules on January 1, 2018, raises many questions for aspiring homeowners who might fear having to curb their ambitions.

While the requirements are now more stringent to qualify for a mortgage with a lender, the Accès Condos financial tool represents an even more opportune lever for many Montrealers who want to buy a home and settle in Montréal.

Since the tightening of the rules to avoid over-indebtedness of households, all borrowers, whether they have a large or a small down payment, must now show that they have the capacity to repay their mortgage in the event of an increase of their interest rate. To do this, the bank will offer a current mortgage rate as part of the loan, but will qualify its client based on the Bank of Canada’s five-year benchmark rate.

The Accès Condos financial tool can therefore help you for several reasons:

• Thanks to the sharing of risks between the developer and the SHDM which accredits the projects, the condos are offered at affordable prices without any compromise on the quality of the building. For example, the prices of the condos offered at Faubourg Contrecœur Phase 5 range from $169,900 (including taxes) for the 1 BDR units and $214,298 (including taxes) for the 2 BDR units.
• A purchase credit of 10% of the condo price applicable to the down payment is offered to home buyers, which enables them to reduce their monthly mortgage payments and facilitate their mortgage approval.
• The initial contribution from buyers is only $1,000, which gives them more flexibility to increase their down payment and reduce the amount of their mortgage.

All these advantages give additional leeway to buyers who have the desire and capability to acquire a condominium, by allowing them to reduce the amount for which they must now qualify.

Note that Accès Condos is a program that accredits affordable, high-quality residential projects and provides buyers with a 10% purchase credit on the condo’s purchase value, enabling them to buy with only a $1,000 deposit and at the same time reduce their monthly mortgage payments.

Since its creation in 2005, SHDM’s Accès Condos Program has enabled more than 3,600 households to acquire a quality property at very competitive prices while staying in Montréal. This program does even more. It contributes to the revitalization of neighbourhoods in a sustainable way, by the creation of dynamic living environments. For more information, visit accescondos.org

Carinne, a proud Montrealer and owner of an Accès Condos accredited unit in the Ville-Marie borough, testifies to her experience in acquiring her condo and explains her main motivations.

Learn about the Accès Condos program, a financial tool developed by the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal in 2005, and which has enabled more than 3,600 households to be become home owners in Montréal.

The program is based on a partnership with developers and offers to buyers of Accès Condos accredited units financial assistance in the form of a 10% purchase credit, thereby reducing their down payment to $1,000.

To know more about the Accès Condos program, visit: http://accescondos.org/en/

Currently, several Accès Condos accredited one- and two-bedroom units are for sale in the Faubourg Contrecœur Phase 5 project in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.

The construction of Îlot Balmoral on Place des Festivals continues in order for the new building to welcome its first tenants in early 2019, including the headquarters of the National Film Board which will occupy six of the 13 floors available for rent.

Developed by the SHDM team and designed by the firm of architects Provencher_Roy, this ambitious and innovative project intrigues and arouses a lot of interest from architecture enthusiasts and Montrealers who are happy to see the construction of a flagship building in the heart of the Quartier des spectacles. Among them, Shawn Grenier — a young photography student from Cégep du Vieux Montréal to whom we gave the opportunity to take his first steps as a professional photographer in a photo essay —was able to sketch the craftsmen of the work site in their daily tasks.

See some of Montréal’s landmarks like you’ve never seen them before, such as the Musée d’art contemporain (MACM), the Place des Arts or downtown rooftops, thanks to the photographs of this young artist. And you too can be challenged by the scale game that emerges between the magnitude of the city and the Îlot Balmoral project and the human dimension of the site with its workers, who bolt after bolt, screw after screw, build with their expert hands a part of the future landscape of our famous festivals!

If you wish to have more information on spaces available for rent, visit our Îlot Balmoral web page.

 

2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the SHDM ! This is the perfect moment to thank you for your trust and to express our very best wishes for the new year.

Take a moment to watch this short video in which our employees show their gratefulness to the entire SHDM community.