MONTREAL — Manoir Montefiore, an upscale private kosher seniors’ residence in Côte St. Luc, will close within 18 months, but its owner promises to help find new homes nearby for the 78 residents and to compensate them, according to the law.
General manager André Grégoire told The CJN that 72 of the 132 apartments are currently occupied, and that the average age of the residents is 90. Most have lived in the facility for at least 10 years, he said.
They are increasingly in need of more care than the Montefiore, which opened in 1989, was designed for or is equipped to provide, he said.
Réseau Sélection, which has owned and managed the Montefiore at 5855 Cavendish Blvd. since January 2014, is committed to doing all it can to relocate the residents with as little stress as possible to them and their families, he said. That is why an 18-month window is planned.
There are three other kosher seniors’ residences in Côte St. Luc, including Le Waldorf, which Réseau Sélection also owns, and, even closer to the Montefiore, the Castel Royal and the King David, he pointed out.
Grégoire said these facilities are better able to provide the care, including nursing services, than the Montefiore and they do have the space for them.
“There is a gap between what we can do and what the services should be for our residents. We think this is the responsible thing to do,” he said of the decision to close.
Designed for autonomous and semi-autonomous people, the Montefiore is “a gorgeous apartment building, but it was not designed for long-term care. You can’t transform a hotel into a hospital,” he said.
All residents will receive three months’ compensation, which is required by the Quebec Rental Board, he said, and Réseau Sélection will pay their moving expenses.
Réseau Sélection is the proprietor of more than 20 seniors’ facilities in Quebec. It has a partnership with Mississauga, Ont.-based Revera in the ownership of these properties. Revera has seniors’ homes across Canada.
Grégoire emphasized that the Montefiore will maintain all its services to residents at the current level, including meals, housekeeping, personal care and the nursing available, such as drug distribution, until it shuts down.
He said it was too early to say what Réseau Sélection’s plans are for the building, such as whether it will be sold or turned into a condominium or regular rental property.
The Montefiore is in the heart of Côte St. Luc, near the Quartier Cavendish, municipal library, medical services, public transit and other amenities.
In addition to the four above-mentioned residences, there are several other seniors’ homes in Côte St. Luc, some of them lower-cost, including Caldwell Terrace, the Aristocrat, St. Patrick Square and B’nai Brith House. Construction is to begin soon on a second B’nai Brith residence.
Maimonides Geriatric Centre and Mount Sinai Hospital also have hundreds of long-term beds.
Mike Cohen, the councillor for the district in which the Montefiore is located, called it “sad news.”