Residents of the Rockhill apartments in Montreal
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The dirty or damaged appearance of several common areas in Rockhill is a nuisance for all tenants as they have to live with it on a daily basis.
The "broken windows" effect is well-known: when a building looks neglected, it encourages further acts of vandalism and worse, as presented in the March 1982 article "Broken Windows" from The Atlantic Monthly:
"Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighborhoods as in rundown ones. Window-breaking does not necessarily occur on a large scale because some areas are inhabited by determined window-breakers whereas others are populated by window-lovers; rather, one unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing."
It is therefore important to rectify these issues as soon as possible to avoid encouraging a general sense of neglect and antisocial behaviors that can make the complex unlivable for tenants seeking a quiet life beneficial to their physical and mental health.
19 August 2024
Des coquerelles ont été vues dans les portes des ascenseurs du F et du B. Elles utilisent les ascenseurs pour monter à d'autres étages.
- Cockroaches in an elevator of building B
- Cockroaches in an elevator of building F
- Cockroach in the middle of the garage
The administration recently distributed traps to residents of buildings D and E to detect the quantity of cockroaches present. There were already traps in building F for many months, often well filled:
There were so many friday that the extermination company had to hurriedly take them away without leaving any replacements!
26 June 2024
The holes in the walls left by the removal of the old speakers remain wide open, three months later, with no plan to fill them. This constitutes a violation of housing sanitation and provides an easy entry point for insects.
12 June 2024
Once more, litter ont the ground due to insufficient garbage bins after this area was just washed, creating a breeding ground for vermin:
03 June 2024
Several living and dead cockroaches were spotted at the elevator entrace of building D in SS2:
The same day, a visit in the F revealed a trap with cockroaches in it:
L'administration, avisée de cette présence, à indiqué qu'elle allait demander à la compagnie d'exterminateurs, de faire un traitement plus extensif de cet endroit. Nous avons indiqué qu'il s'agit d'un signe superficiel d'une infestation plus grave.
The administration, advised of this presence, indicated that it would ask the exterminators to treat this area more extensively. We advised them that it was a superficial signal of a deeper infestation.
27 May 2024
For the past 2 years, sanitation has been deteriorating, which is evidenced by the increased presence of insects and now rats. Decisive action is needed before all buildings are completely overrun!
Read More...27 May 2024
In the summer of 2023, a project to refurbish the balconies of building F was initiated by the administration, after having completed those of building E. A year later, the work continues amidst dust, noise, and a lack of transparency, raising fears for other planned work by Minto.
Read More...27 May 2024
The administration tried to remove the graffiti on the walls but it can still be seen. It might be necessary to call in a professional cleaner with pressure washing equipment and/or effective solvents.
Read More...27 May 2024
Nothing has been done to eliminate the accumulation of old abandoned bicycles around several buildings, which are obstacles for pedestrians and monopolize the bicycle stands. Rusty bikes, flat tires, strewn about in every direction, bicycle stands placed haphazardly, block the way of pedestrians and give an appearance of neglect. Opposite the facade of building D, several wooden tables are additional obstacles.
27 May 2024
The RTC obtained the incident report for the fire on April 30, 2024, provided by the Clerk's Office of the City of Montreal. Unfortunately only the french document was provided however we translated the most interesting parts below.
Relevant details:
- The fire chief determined that the fire was caused by a cigarette thrown into the garbage container.
- A sprinkler activated.
- An alarm system connected to a central unit activated.
- The smoke detector activated.
- The first firefighters were called at 9:10 AM and took 4 minutes and 41 seconds to arrive on site.
- Upon departure, the firefighters informed the dispatch center that the alarms raised by the system and the sprinklers were non-urgent, likely because they had difficulty stopping them (as described by eyewitnesses). The firefighters instructed Minto officials to call the alarm company for verification.
Conclusion:
- The source of the fire was minor but demonstrates that cigarette use is poorly controlled; cameras in strategic locations in the garage would help maintain the security of the premises.
- The alarm system and sprinklers operated, which is reassuring.
- The firefighters had to ask Minto to have the alarm and sprinklers checked. Is this related to incidents that occurred early in the morning, twice since the fire?
Additionally, witnesses mentioned that the new speaker system was not working, and residents were unsure whether it was a drill or a real incident.
The Collective has requested that tenants be informed of the status of the alarm project, especially since the old communication system was removed while the new one does not seem fully operational yet.
14 April 2024
The lack of irrigation last summer causing the drying out of newly laid lawns, and the snow removal tractor's off-trail excursions mean that, with the arrival of spring, many areas on the Rockhill grounds have turned to mud, giving it the appearance of a construction site, rather than a property about which the Montreal Heritage Council said in 2013:
"The CPM considers it important that a landscaping management plan be implemented (...) in order to preserve the landscape qualities of the place in the medium and long term."
and about the "Contribution to the project for conservation of Mont-Royal":
"The layout should take more into account the fact that part of the site is located in the buffer zone surrounding the Oratory Woods."
(see l'avis de Réaménagement des espaces extérieurs - Appartements Rockhill)
In the face of such a disaster, one can only denounce the administration's lack of concern for Rockhill's green vocation. We demand that Minto take its ecological responsibilities seriously and dismiss contractors who are negligent with respect to landscaping!
Monday 9th of September 2024 at 7 PM
In the hall of building C
(next to the stores)
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Affected by the deterioration of the Rockhill Apartments in Montreal, some tenants began meeting in July 2023 to consider ways to address the situation.
From these meetings emerged the Rockhill Tenants Collective, a spontaneous group dedicated to upholding the rights of residents and the heritage value of this once upscale and avant-garde complex.