The City of Saguenay “watched the parade go by” and lost the opportunity to build 100 low-income retirement homes on its territory. Le Quotidien reports that Saguenay was not considered to host one of the 10 real estate projects of the Luc Maurice Foundation for the construction of a real estate complex of 100 homes dedicated to these seniors.
The foundation’s only requirement is to obtain in exchange for this $23 million real estate project a free plot of land and three years of tax exemption. In return, the building is erected and is entrusted to the OMH of the municipalities that were selected. The developer also adds a $500,000 tranche to cover unforeseen events and the city or the OMH have no amount to pay.
Councillor Raynald Simard, who sits on the OMH, believes that someone somewhere said no to the project. And he intends to ask questions. The thorny issue will be discussed Wednesday at the municipal council meeting, even though the OMH was never informed. Mayor Julie Dufour did not provide any explanation to the Quotidien to justify the fact that these projects are being carried out elsewhere in Quebec, unlike in Saguenay.
The Minister of Municipal Affairs and MNA for Chicoutimi, Andrée Laforest, was aware of the deployment of the Foundation’s ten projects, but was not aware that Saguenay was not part of them.
