A group of Montreal tenants is denouncing troubling practices related to the governance of the building they call home. In the face of intimidation, threats, and mismanagement by administration, the tenants joined forces with a local citizens’ group to call for an end to the “climate of fear” created by the non-profit organization that owns their building.
Residents of the Cité des âges, a non-profit apartment building in Montreal’s Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, say that the organization governing the building is failing to live up to its stated mission. Ninety-two residents live at the complex, including many seniors.
The Cité des âges is managed by a non-profit organization whose stated purposes include providing low-rent housing for seniors and families and delivering services that support their well-being.
Tenants told The North Star that their problems began in 2023. The residents, many of them senior citizens, report being harassed, threatened, and excessively surveilled by management. They also describe favouritism and a lack of transparency and fairness on the part of administrators.
This year, a group of tenants began to form a committee to defend their rights and dignity. To do so, they allied themselves with the Ligue 33, a local neighbourhood organization. The organization Off The Defensive also joined to help the tenants after they were threatened with a lawsuit by the management.
On Wednesday afternoon, the tenant committee and the Ligue 33 held a press conference to articulate their concerns and demands. Many of their concerns focused on the behaviour of Marina Belskikh, the director-secretary-treasurer of the Cité des âge’s board of directors.
Harassment, contempt and threats of violence
Tenants report that the administration treats them with contempt when they ask questions or raise concerns. One resident reported being told, “If you’re not happy, we won’t keep you here. We hope not to see you again next year.”
Residents began recording their interactions with administrators to document aggressive remarks. Recordings obtained by the Ligue 33 include shocking comments. “If I catch anyone touching my car, I’ll slit his throat until he bleeds out on the street,” an administrator was heard to say.
“I already got a letter from someone here—delivered by a bailiff—and I told him, ‘Next time you send it to me, I’ll shove your fucking bailiff-delivered letter down your throat,’” said an administrator in reference to a resident.
A press release issued by the tenant committee says that disabled residents in particular are targeted by such behaviour. They are calling for concrete measures to protect tenants from intimidation and an independent, confidential mechanism for handling complaints.
Constant surveillance
A major concern expressed by tenants is extensive surveillance at the building. There is a notable presence of video cameras in the building, which the tenant committee says are closely monitored. Tenants recounted how administrators, and Belskikh in particular, scrutinize camera footage and then hand out warnings for minor infractions such as leaving a door unlocked.
“She sees everything,” a tenant told The North Star, referring to Belskikh. “She gave out [a 25 dollars fine] because a lady is composting. The problem isn’t that she gave it out, but she checks everything. You know what I mean?”
Tenants report that when they advocate for themselves, building administrators routinely warn them that they are being watched and that the administration keeps “files” on its tenants.
France Hovington, a member of the tenant committee, noted that Belskikh showed up at Wednesday’s press conference and took photographs, presumably to keep tabs on who was participating.
When the committee held its first public meeting in one of the building’s common rooms, the administration retaliated immediately. During the assembly, a “tenants’ representative” and administrator came to try to expel the tenants from the room. They refused to leave. Administrators sent an invoice for $350 to a committee member for their use of the space.
However, it is stated on the website of the non-profit that this room is freely available for tenants. “We think there is no age to learn, create and flourish. That is why we accompany tenants with their personal development projects and offer free access to the common room. This space becomes a place of sharing where ideas, friendship and beautiful moments are born.”
Tenants reported that the following day, a sign was posted on the room’s door outlining a new policy requiring tenants to pay for use of the common room.
Arbitrary decisions
The tenant committee has raised questions about the independence of the board of directors. “There are concerns about alleged family or friendship ties between certain board members, the secretary, and individuals close to the organization. Some decisions appear to favour a select group rather than the collective interest,” said the committee in a written statement.
The decisions in question include committee appointments and, crucially, the selection of new tenants. While there are two tenant representatives on the board of directors, committee members say the representatives were elected more than three years ago and do not legitimately represent the residents’ interests. Hovington says the board has refused tenant requests for new elections.
Some tenants believe the non-profit organization’s money is being mismanaged. “They never have any money. They never have any cash. Except for decorating,” says Hovington. Several tenants told The North Star that the organization’s money would be better spent on repairing the building’s windows and 35-year-old roof.
The committee also alleges that Marina Belskikh’s combined roles of secretary, treasurer, and director places her in a serious conflict of interest. On top of that, Belskikh is the daughter-in-law of the president of the board, André Pion. In its statement, the committee calls for an independent examination of the board’s administrative practices.
Demands for transparency and open dialogue
Despite its strong denunciation of the administration’s behaviour and governance practices, the committee’s statement expresses hope for dialogue with the board of directors. Some tenants, though, are discouraged by the badly deteriorating relationship with the administration.
“Listen, if we hadn’t done everything we could, I wouldn’t be here. We did everything we could to give them every possible—and even impossible—opportunity,” says tenant Jules Noël. “They had every chance [for dialogue]. They didn’t take a single one. They’re not open to it. It’s unfortunate, because we are.”
For its part, the Ligue 33 is committed to accompanying the tenant committee in its struggle, whatever may come next.
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