Quebec has designated Montreal’s Chinatown neighbourhood a provincial heritage site, protecting nine buildings in the district from demolition or significant alteration without permission.
The province says the new designation protects the “institutional core” of the city’s Chinatown, including a 19th-century school building and a former cigar factory.
Quebec’s Culture Department says the neighbourhood bears significant markers of Montreal’s more-than-century-old Chinese community, such as the stone arch at the western entrance of the district.
- Applicants for child care operator licences in Saskatchewan say they’re being denied
- More than $500M likely required annually for Calgary to meet affordable housing targets
- First-ever Saskatchewan commodity showcase connects producers with global buyers
- Montreal-area family hopes daughter’s cancer journey inspires blood donors
Members of Montreal’s Chinese community have for years lobbied the city and province to protect the neighbourhood, which is among many Chinatowns across North America that have been threatened by gentrification.
Get daily National news
Work to officially bestow the heritage label on Montreal’s Chinatown has been ongoing since January 2022.
That year, Montreal announced Chinatown would become its first neighbourhood to receive a city-designated status recognizing its historic value.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.