(Montreal) The Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall is calling for a public coroner’s inquiry into the Place d’Youville fire, which killed seven people in mid-March.
Elected officials are also concerned about the possibility that several other buildings in Old Montreal will house windowless rooms, sometimes with the consent of municipal authorities.
“There is a human tragedy that has affected downtown Montreal. I don’t understand how you can dismiss a public inquiry out of hand,” said opposition leader Aref Salem. “There are people who died. We would like to shed some light on this. »
Mr. Salem and his colleagues have just sent a letter to the Chief Coroner of Quebec, Me Pascale Descary, to put forward their arguments.
The opposition would also like a review of the way the Ville-Marie borough grants transformation permits.
“We are asking the municipal council to mandate the auditor general’s office to conduct an investigation into the process for issuing the transformation permits that would have been granted despite the non-compliance of the architectural plans,” said the spokesperson for the city. opposition on public security, Abdelhaq Sari.
“It’s been a week that the borough of Ville-Marie, as well as the administration of Ms. Plante, have been burying themselves in silence. It takes a serious and objective person to shed light on this situation. »
The office of Valérie Plante indicated that the mayor relies “on the expertise of the coroner to determine the need for a broader investigation”. “That said, the City is already in action to ensure the safety of the population and several initiatives are in preparation, including targeted interventions with our partners, an imminent tightening of the rules obliging owners to maintain their vacant buildings, as well as our certification responsible owner,” Ms. Plante’s office added, in writing.