The City of Montreal is proud to announce $625,000 in financial support for the organization Espace LGBTQ+ to create Espace + Village, an LGBTQ+ community center project in the heart of the Village, on Sainte-Catherine Street East. Once completed, Espace + Village will become the first French-speaking LGBTQ+ community complex in Canada.
The City of Montreal and the Ville-Marie borough are investing $425,000 and $200,000, respectively, in this promising project. These amounts are in addition to the $400,000 disbursed in 2024 under the “Accelerating Sustainable Investment - Social Economy” program to help Espace LGBTQ+ acquire the building that will house Espace + Village. This brings the City's total support for the project to $1.025 million.
Directly responding to several objectives of the Downtown 2030 Strategy and the Village's Collective Action Strategy, the Espace + Village project will provide suitable and accessible premises for more than a dozen NPOs while highlighting the neighborhood's built heritage. The carbon-neutral facilities will also become a strong identity marker for the Village and a symbol of the community vitality of Sainte-Catherine Street East.
"This new space is much more than a building. It is a place of identity, a community anchor, a space of solidarity for the organizations, artists, and citizens who bring the Village to life. With this new financial contribution, we reiterate our unwavering support for the Village and LGBTQIA2S+ communities and organizations, and underscore their crucial importance in making Montreal and the downtown core ever more inclusive. This project contributes to the city's reputation as a city of identity, like Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Saskatoon, and affirms its commitment to inclusion and diversity," said Luc Rabouin, responsible for economic development and higher education on the City of Montreal's executive committee.
"In recent years, LGBTQIA2S+ organizations around the world have seen their community spaces and resources increasingly limited. Montreal recognizes the essential role these organizations play in the vitality of our neighborhoods, strengthening the social fabric, and supporting our communities. That's why we are taking direct action to help Espace LGBTQ+ and its partners bring this long-awaited project to fruition: Espace + Village. The Village is a unique neighbourhood, shaped by the commitment of its communities. This project will consolidate that identity. Because it is queer organizations and associations that bring the neighbourhood to life. Hats off to Espace LGBTQ+ and its partners for their commitment to making this project a success," added Robert Beaudry, councilor for the Saint-Jacques district in the Ville-Marie borough.
"We are currently experiencing a pivotal moment for Montreal's 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. With the clear and structured support of the City, Espace LGBTQ+ is taking a decisive step forward. This project touches on our identity, our ways of working, and above all, what we want to build together, sustainably, for the future. Our project protects our communities and gives them new ways to thrive. It sends a loud and clear message: 2SLGBTQIA+ people have a place in Montreal—not on the margins, but at the heart of the city. After decades of trial and error, we are building not only a building, but also a collective, committed, supportive, and promising response to historical exclusion and stigmatization. A place designed for all those who, for too long, have had to live in seclusion, in silence, or on the run," said Désirée Nore Duchesne, president of Espace LGBTQ+.
The first French-language community and cultural complex of its kind in America, Espace + Village will make history at 929 Sainte-Catherine Street East. In addition to preserving and enhancing the built environment, the project will provide affordable space for approximately 15 permanent organizations working in various sectors to create safe and accessible spaces for LGBTQ+ populations and to host community services and cultural events that will promote the Village's unique identity.
SOURCE City of Montreal - Office of the Mayor and Executive Committee
