Norris explained during the meeting, held in French, that the Quebec government has announced the closure of several Montreal hospitals, including the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute, and the Hôtel-Dieu – the oldest hospital in Montreal, founded in 1642. According to Norris’ presentation, the decision came after a large expansion of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) increased the centre’s capacity to such a degree that, according to government experts, it has rendered these hospitals obsolete.

Norris noted that McGill might seek to acquire Royal Victoria Hospital building for a proposed expansion of the university campus.

Representatives from Milton-Parc and Mile End residents’ groups, as well as two city planners, attended the hearing. After a lengthy question-and-answer session, participants were given the opportunity to propose their ideas for the use and zoning of the property.

“In the absence of a city-sponsored project,” Norris said at the hearing, “we can transform the site.”

Proposals for the use of the property included affordable housing, a scaled-back community health centre, use as condos, and commercial use.

The current zoning laws do not permit the conversion of the Hôtel-Dieu into residences, as the hospital is classified as “public and institutional property,” according to Norris. The Ministère de la Culture et des Communications also considers a portion of the campus where the hospital is located as a heritage site.

Lucia Kowaluk of the Milton-Parc Citizens’ Committee advocated for affordable housing for seniors and the impoverished as a possible use for the Hôtel-Dieu building. The Committee could not be reached for further comment.

Norris told The Daily after the hearing that he is committed to “maintain[ing] an employment hub” in the area surrounding the Hôtel-Dieu. According to Norris, it is important that businesses affected by the closure of the hospital continue to function.

Norris emphasized that, although the City of Montreal may also have an interest in developing the property, the mayor’s administration should consider the ideas brought forward by community members. “There are many smart people [in the community who] have a lot of expertise. […] We would like Mayor Coderre to be respectful of our consultation process,” Norris said.

Luc Ferrandez, the borough mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal, has already asked Coderre to propose a plan for the Hôtel-Dieu and Notre-Dame hospitals that “protects employment,” Norris told The Daily.

Coderre and Ferrandez were not available for comment.

The post Public hearing held on fate of Hôtel-Dieu site appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Practicing Muslim students continue to face limited availability of halal foods at McGill, and the situation remains largely unchanged since The Daily last reported on the issue in 2008.

Halal meat, which must come from an animal raised and slaughtered according to Islamic rules, is available at several McGill dining halls, including Bishop Mountain Hall, New Residence Hall (NRH), and Carrefour Sherbrooke. Additionally, vegetarian meals are also suitable for those who eat halal.

However, the lack of variety in the options offered is unsatisfactory to some students. “The only halal food [in NRH] was beef and chicken burgers,” said Umar Kahn, student and member of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Policy Advocacy Resource Committee. “After a while, you can’t keep eating the same thing.”

Others pointed to the prohibitive cost of the halal options. “New Rez is ridiculously expensive,” said Tanbin Rafee, student and member of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) and Daily staff member. “Food is expensive on its own, and halal options [are] even more [expensive].”

On campus, halal options are even more scarce. “There’s none that I know of in terms of meat,” said Karim El-Baba, a U1 Engineering student.

Instead, Muslim students turn to off-campus locations for halal food. “I don’t think there’s [many halal options] around. I have to eat at Arabic or Egyptian restaurants,” said Rafee.

“Sometimes, we have to go to Concordia to get food,” added Kahn.

The food service provider Aramark, which manages many food outlets on McGill’s campus, justified the lack of availability by citing low demand. “Halal being for a very small minority of students, they are not regular items. We accommodate them on a case-by-case [basis]. If we supply the cafeteria with halal food and nobody buys it, then we make a loss,” said Marketing and Nutrition Counselor for Student Housing and Hospitality Services Monique Lauzon.

MSA President Nazem Husseini suggested that the demand is in fact substantial. “The demand is pretty high among Muslim students,” Husseini wrote in an email to The Daily. “If the Food and Dining services [show] that they are willing to offer halal meals, they will find a huge number of Muslim customers to add to their regular customers.”

Lauzon placed the onus on students to make sure that their needs are met. “They would have to manifest an interest. We haven’t received [much] communication from Muslim students. If we suddenly had lots of interest in halal food, we would adjust,” she said.

Rafee spoke to the accessibility problems posed by this request-based approach. “Not everyone is confident enough to ask in front of people,” he said.

Husseini echoed that sentiment, blaming the administration for its lack of cooperation. “Most just opt for the vegetarian meals or get halal meals from food outlets off campus […] as they don’t expect the University will address their demands for halal meals,” he wrote. “McGill’s administration has not been very cooperative in accommodating religious needs on campus, and this definitely discourages students from taking initiative.”

According to SSMU VP Clubs and Services Stefan Fong, the SSMU building stands as an exception and provides a greater variety of options suitable for Muslim students than other outlets on campus.

“There are many more available options in the SSMU building than I would expect there to be on campus, namely all of the vegetarian and vegan options we have,” he wrote in an email to The Daily.

“While they may not include meat, Midnight Kitchen offers free vegan lunches and The Nest provides more vegetarian options than I, as a vegetarian, have seen at any other restaurant on campus.”

A previous version of this article incorrectly labelled Monique Lauzon as an Aramark representative; in fact, she is the Marketing and Nutrition Counselor for Student Housing and Hospitality Services. The Daily regrets the error.

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