By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
A proposal to sell Sherbrooke’s former Sainte-Famille church building is facing strong opposition from local residents and housing advocates, who say the city-owned property should be used for social housing rather than private development.
During a press conference held outside the church on May 20, members of the Sherbrooke tenants’ association and local residents expressed their frustration with a motion introduced earlier this month by Councillor Hélène Dauphinais to put the building back on the market. They argue that the decision risks further privatization of public land and exacerbates an already critical housing crisis.
“It’s a public building. It should serve the public,” said Normand Couture, coordinator of the tenants’ association, during his speech. Couture reminded attendees that the city acquired the church in 2021 with the idea of creating either a public community space or social housing. “We hoped it wouldn’t be bought to join the real estate speculation market,” he said.
Couture explained that two possible projects were previously studied: one for a 30-unit social housing complex and another to establish a public library. Though both options were deemed too expensive, he said the association supported the library plan as a fallback, since it would have at least offered a community resource for low-income families. “Instead, the city rejected both, and now they’re talking about selling,” he said.
