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April 1, 2026
Meeting with Krisztina Balogh, commander of SPVM Precinct 21, accompanied by officers under her command, to discuss with residents and their representatives public safety issues and potential courses of action for Chinatown at the Yee-Kang Centre, a senior residence on Bullion Street;
March 26, 2026 - If you want something done right, do it yourself
There will be a “before” and an “after” to Thursday, March 26, 2026, a date that will forever mark the history of Montreal’s Chinatown following the meeting regarding the Old Brewery Mission’s social housing project for its homeless clients in the heritage building at Davis & Sons on Côté Street, with members of its board of directors and its director at Montreal City Hall under the auspices of Claude Pinard, city councilor for Saint-Jacques and chair of the City of Montreal’s executive committee.
That day marked the end of the illusions and the mirage that the sprawling charitable organization had maintained for Chinatown when its leaders acknowledged, following these discussions, that they would have to completely reevaluate their project, even if it meant abandoning it.
In the photo, in no particular order—ARQC board members Christiane Jansen, Bill Wong, and Yvan Michaud, accompanied by Colette Cummings, a resident member of the ARQC; Bryant Chang (Chinese Association of Montreal); Jimmy Chan (Chan Clan Association); Vincent Lupien, a property owner; representatives from the Yee-Kang Centre (a senior residence) and the Asian Night Market Festival; business owners Paul Li and May Giang (Cocobun Bakery); Father Liu from the Chinese Catholic Community Centre accompanied by his translator; and Fo Niemi from CRARR, acting as facilitator.
March 24, 2026
“Gathered at the Holiday Inn in Montreal’s Chinatown, nearly 200 residents of the Saint-Jacques district delivered a blunt assessment: their neighbourhood, the nerve center of downtown, is now under social, health, and safety pressures that have become nearly unsustainable. As the discussions unfolded, one word stood out: coexistence. But a coexistence deemed unbalanced, even broken.”
An excellent summary and report (in French) on the first Rendez-vous citoyens initiated by the elected officials of the Ville-Marie borough, by Alain Clavet, resident of Chinatown and editor-in-chief of LaMetropole.com:
https://lametropole.com/2026/03/25/itinerance-montreal-face-a-limpasse-reconcilier-humanite-et-ordre-dans-larrondissement-saint-jacques/
A look back at the event and a report from the City of Montreal:
https://montreal.ca/actualites/la-premiere-rencontre-des-rendez-vous-citoyens-suscite-lengouement-108094
March 10, 2026
As anticipated last month following a commitment by the mayor, the Ville-Marie Borough Council authorized the non-profit organization Stella, l’amie de Maimie to establish itself at 1096 Avenue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville in order to offer its services to sex workers in Montreal. Despite fierce opposition from several neighbors, elderly residents living nearby, and the five clan associations in Chinatown, elected officials approved the change in the presence of the organization's director.
Claude Pinard, city councilor for Saint-Jacques and executive director of the City of Montreal, acknowledged, however, that “Chinatown has been neglected in recent years,” despite the action plan for the neighborhood's development adopted in 2022 by the former administration. He reminded the assembly of the City's recent acquisition of the land bordering Saint-Laurent and René-Lévesque boulevards, where he envisions the rapid development of a new community and sports center for the neighborhood. In the presence of the chief of the SPVM's 21st precinct, he took the opportunity to commit to improving residents' sense of security starting this spring with a greater police presence and an improvement in the overall cleanliness of the neighborhood.
Claude Pinard also emphasized that he would not accept Stella becoming the scapegoat for all the problems in Chinatown, because its activities do not tend to create crowds or attract marginalized populations, and because most of the organization's interventions take place outside its premises.
The Borough of Ville-Marie has scheduled two more meetings between elected officials and citizens of the area before the end of the month.
March 5, 2026
Several organizations in Chinatown, including residents and clan associations, have expressed their outrage and opposition to the upcoming opening of a support center for sex workers on Hôtel-de-Ville Avenue. They are calling on the City of Montreal to immediately impose a moratorium on the creation of any new resources for “at-risk” populations in their neighborhood, which is already heavily impacted by crime and social disorder.
February 27, 2026
The Borough of Ville-Marie is launching its Rendez-vous citoyens (Citizens' Meetings), starting with the Saint-Jacques district and Chinatown. Residents of the neighborhood are invited to come and talk with Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada and district representative Claude Pinard on Tuesday, March 24, at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Holiday Inn Montreal Downtown, 999 Saint-Urbain Street
When: Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m.
Registration required: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=3NIVn1OHg0-qwqWCiNOkvO4-zRuSpX9FtNz4l8nbWWBUMTZWMlJGVFpXVEZUSzdCWlpVTTE2MVdaViQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl
February 20, 2026
As agreed on February 10, borough councilors will vote next month on the application submitted by the non-profit organization Stella for a conditional use of 1096 Avenue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville. The borough itself held an information session on this issue on February 19 with a dozen residents from the area. Interested parties will also have the opportunity to be heard by borough council members, who will decide on this request at their meeting on March 10, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at 800 Boulevard de Maisonneuve East. More information below.
February 10, 2026
"Stella, l'amie de Maimie", a non-profit organization that supports sex workers, wants to purchase the residential building located at 1096 Avenue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville in Chinatown to set up its offices there. However, the organization was greatly disappointed when it learned at the February 10 borough of Ville-Marie council meeting that Soraya Martinez Ferrada's administration was postponing its authorization for one month. Although the mayor has committed to authorizing this use at the next borough council meeting in March, she also argued that the neighbours had not been sufficiently consulted: "Putting a notice on a door is not consulting."
The borough's elected officials also want to meet with citizens from each district (Saint-Jacques, Sainte-Marie, and Peter McGill) to hear their concerns directly. The first of these meetings will be held at the end of March for citizens of the Saint-Jacques district, where Chinatown is located. More details to come.
https://ville-marie.evenement.agencewebdiffusion.com/ouverture-de-lassemblée-80
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-90GtAEMlc
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/zh-hans/新闻/2231413/唐人街-性工作者协助-收购
January 30, 2026
Board members meet with Claude Pinard, City Councilor for Saint-Jacques and President of the Executive Committee of the City of Montreal, accompanied by Fo Niemi (CRARR) and Bryant Chang (Chinese Association of Montreal).
January 27, 2026
Carman Tang and Yvan Michaud, accompanied by Fo Niemi (CRARR), meet with Franck Subra, Acting Director of the Société de développement commercial (SDC) Montréal Centre-ville, and Rachel Van Velzen, Director of Administration.
January 21, 2026
Press conference held at the Chinese Catholic Community Center on Côté Street: More than 1,500 people signed a petition launched last fall against the Old Brewery Mission's plans to convert the Davis & Sons heritage building into housing for the homeless, a project strongly opposed by all residents and merchants in Chinatown.
Reports:
https://montreal.citynews.ca/2026/01/21/chinatown-groups-oppose-social-housing-project/
https://globalnews.ca/video/11623696/chinatown-residents-oppose-proposed-social-housing-project/
December 16, 2025
Speech by Carman Tang, President of the Association of Residents of Chinatown (ARQC), delivered at the “Chinatown Volunteer Appreciation Evening” organized on December 16, 2025, by the Centre of Research-Action on Racial Relations (CRARR), the Montreal Chinatown Development Council, and the Chinese Association of Montreal, in the presence of Mr. Claude Pinard, Chair of the Executive Committee and Councillor for Saint-Jacques in the City of Montreal, and several elected officials and municipal representatives:
Bonsoir à toutes et à tous,
Je m’appelle Carman Tang, présidente de l’Association des résident(e)s du Quartier chinois. C’est un immense honneur d’être ici ce soir, entourée de personnes qui tiennent réellement au quartier. Je veux d’abord remercier du fond du cœur chaque bénévole qui s’est impliqué durant la période électorale. Votre engagement a donné une voix forte à notre communauté. Et merci à Claude Pinard ainsi qu’aux élu(e)s présents. Votre présence montre que les enjeux de notre quartier sont pris au sérieux.
Nous le savons, notre communauté traverse des défis importants : une hausse de l’itinérance, des problématiques liées à la consommation de drogues et un sentiment croissant d’insécurité pour nos résidents. Ce sont des réalités complexes qui demandent compassion, mais aussi une volonté ferme de protéger ceux qui vivent ici.
Et j’aimerais être claire : les décisions concernant le quartier doivent se faire avec ses résidents autour de la table. Nous ne pouvons plus laisser d’autres décider à notre place.
As we look forward, I’m filled with hope not because the challenges are small, but because our community is strong. I believe in partnerships that actually listen to the people who live here, in solutions that respect both our safety and our humanity, and in a future where Chinatown can grow, thrive, and feel like home for all of us. With collaboration, understanding, and real commitment, I know we can build a safer and more vibrant neighbourhood.
我想多謝大家一直以嚟對華埠嘅支持同關心。未來，我希望政府同居民可以有更多真誠嘅合作，一齊搵到既能夠照顧弱勢，又能令居民安心嘅方法。華埠值得一個更安全、更興旺、更有活力嘅未來，而我哋每一個人都係其中重要嘅力量。
多謝大家今晚嘅出席。
Merci, and thank you.
Let’s continue moving forward together.
Carman Tang
November 9, 2025
Thank you to Phil Chu, outgoing president, for his invaluable contribution to the first year of the Association of Residents of Chinatown (ARQC), and congratulations to Carman Tang, president-elect following the annual general meeting on November 9!
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