The owner of two buildings in Old Montreal where nine people died in fires in 2023 and 2024 has just been sentenced for blocked evacuation outings.
Émile Benamor omitted to ensure that some doors of another of its properties-located in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-could be used. This property was not the victim of a fire.
“The requirement to maintain the means of evacuation in good condition and free from any obstruction makes it possible to facilitate the displacement of people and emergency services,” wrote Judge Johanne Duplessis of the Montreal Municipal Court, in a decision dated last week. “The risks of serious damage that these shortcomings cause are raised in the event of a fire since they jeopardize the safety and life of residents. »»
The inspection that led to these accusations occurred on March 23, 2023.
Seven days earlier, a heritage building belonging to Émile Benamor was branded on the Place d’Youville, in Old Montreal. Seven people died there. Several units were rented via the Airbnb platform.
In October 2024, a second building in Old Montreal belonging to Mr. Benamor burned. A French tourist and her child lost his life in the disaster.
“A handful is missing”
At 2321 avenue de Hampton, two outings were difficult to use when the Montreal Fire Security Service is passed.
In one, “a handful is missing to open the door which leads directly outwards,” reports the judgment of the municipal court. In the other, “all the framing of the door is sealed with adhesive tape. The door chain is stuck under the ribbon ”.
Émile Benamor pleaded that these problems were not visible from the common spaces of the building and that the tenants did not let him enter these apartments. He even said he had never seen the interior of these apartments since his acquisition of the building in 2020.
Duplessis judge rejected these explanations.
“The defendant argues that it is impossible for him to make checks, since the tenants do not let him have access to the apartment,” she wrote. This claim is not supported by proof. It emerges from the testimony of the defendant that he has never made any concrete steps with the tenants. »»
If these approaches had been unsuccessful, the owner could even have been addressed to the administrative housing court (TAL) to have access to the apartments, as a last resort, according to the decision.
The National Fire Prevention Code provides for an emergency output inspection at least on a monthly basis.
Richard Raymond, Mr. Benamor’s lawyer, did not want to comment on the judgment.
